Arsenal boss Arteta keen to hold talks with Premier League midfielder

Arsenal will be hoping to maintain pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City when they face Chelsea at The Emirates on Tuesday.

The Gunners had topped the table for the majority of the season so far before a defeat to City last week allowed the reigning champions to leapfrog them with victory over Fulham on Sunday.

The Blues arrive in north London in dismal form, though, having failed to win any of their last eight games across all competitions.

Caretaker manager Frank Lampard is yet to see his side avoid defeat since returning to take charge of the club for a second time, but he will undoubtedly be motivated to end that run against their London rivals.

In the meantime, it appears that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is keen to move closer to a deal for one of his top transfer targets.

According to The Mirror, the Spaniard wants to hold talks with West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice as soon as the transfer window opens this summer.

Rice is said to be one of Arsenal’s top targets for this summer

Arteta is said to be confident that he can persuade the Englishman to join his side, despite it looking increasingly unlikely that they will win the league title this term.

Rice, 24, has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders over the past few seasons, but he looks increasingly likely to leave The Hammers this summer.

His current contract is set to run until next summer with the option of a further 12 months, which suggests that the upcoming transfer window will be West Ham’s last chance to sell the player for a significant fee.

The player himself has previously admitted his desire to play in the Champions League – something that Arsenal can now offer for the first time in six years – and the report claims that he is interested in a move to The Emirates.

In total, Rice has made 238 appearances for West Ham across all competitions, and he has also been capped 41 times by England since making his senior international debut in 2019.