Arsenal could complete £92 million signing in coming days

West Ham United ended a 43-year wait for silverware by beating Fiorentina to lift the Europa Conference League on Wednesday. 

Said Benrahma’s second-half penalty put the Hammers ahead in Prague, but their Italian counterparts quickly responded and the tie looked to be heading to extra-time.

That was until Englishman Jarrod Bowen stormed through to roll the ball into the back of the net and spark jubilation amongst the West Ham fans in the Czech capital.

Manager David Moyes was visibly emotional after the final whistle, and captain Declan Rice became only the third player to lift a trophy for the club, following in the footsteps of Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds.

Now, though, the east London outfit could face losing their captain as a number of clubs close in.

As per Football Insider, Arsenal could complete a club record move for Rice in the coming days.

Rice lifted the first major trophy of his career on Wednesday

The report claims that the Gunners are in talks over a proposed move for the England international, which would likely cost around £92 million.

Speaking after the match in Prague, West Ham owner David Sullivan admitted that he had ‘promised’ Rice that he would be allowed to leave the club this summer.

Arsenal are said to have been working on the deal for several weeks now, but an agreement is believed to be close and could be completed in the next week.

Rice, 24, has been instrumental for Moyes’ side over the past few seasons and became club captain at the start of the current campaign, following Mark Noble’s retirement.

In total, the former Chelsea youngster has made 245 appearances across all competitions for the Hammers, including 50 this season.

Arsenal’s rivals Manchester United are also said to be interested in Rice, while German champions Bayern Munich could also make a move for the player if Arsenal fail to reach an agreement.

The Gunners are on the hunt for at least one new midfielder with current star Granit Xhaka set to depart this summer; the Switzerland international is expected to complete a permanent move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the coming weeks.

If Arsenal did pay £92 million for Rice, it would make the Englishman the most expensive player in the club’s history – eclipsing the £72 million that they paid for Nicolas Pepe back in 2019.