(Football news) Declan Rice, the captain of West Ham, is likely to be the subject of an offer from Arsenal at the end of the current campaign, but Bayern Munich has also gotten in touch with Rice’s agents. The English midfielder, who the Gunners were interested in back in January, is the subject of ongoing internal debates at the Emirates Stadium.

Whether in the form of a transfer fee or a transfer fee plus players, West Ham will be open to accept an offer of £120 million. Rice’s contract at West Ham has one year still to run, with an additional year’s option. 

Arsenal is also monitoring Moises Caicedo’s circumstances at Brighton. In January, Arsenal had two offers turned down; the most recent being for £70 million. Since then, Caicedo has renewed his contract with Brighton.

At least three more Premier League clubs are reportedly “high on the list” of Caicedo. It has not been ruled out that Arsenal would make summer transfers for both Rice and Caicedo, although the likelihood of doing so will likely rely on the proceeds of any potential sales.

Granit Xhaka is slated to leave in the summer, therefore Arsenal is also keeping an eye on a few other midfielders. Mason Mount of Chelsea and Ilkay Gundogan, the captain of Manchester City, have both been identified as prospective targets. Next summer, Mount’s Chelsea contract will expire. Due to an injury, the England midfielder has missed the final few weeks of Chelsea’s campaign.

This summer, Gundogan’s contract expires, he had stated that conversations with City were underway. Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, has made it clear that Gundogan should remain. When Arteta served as Guardiola’s assistant at City, the two of them frequently collaborated. 

Xhaka has contributed to the division of the Arsenal fanbase during the course of his seven years at the club. Many people are shocked he has lasted this long. As Arsenal dropped towards the middle of the table, some considered him as a contributing factor, while others saw him as being scapegoated and misunderstood.

But if Xhaka decides to leave the team this summer, it will be at a time when everyone at the Emirates Stadium is finally warming to him. After being relieved of his captaincy due to a public argument with the fans in 2020, Xhaka was on the verge of quitting when Mikel Arteta urged him to wait it out. That period of time was well spent because the Arsenal manager assigned him to a position that suited him well.

The 30-year-old is a valuable, underappreciated attacking player who is not burdened by the expectations placed on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. He does not wear the armband, but many at the club believe he is the skipper in all except title. His position in the team is comparable.

However, if reports of a dual interest in Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo are accurate a deal that would likely cost the team more than £150 million—something must give, and the rumoured £15 million Xhaka would fetch could prove useful. Perhaps Arteta wants to renew his leadership team as well. Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney, two of the club captains, are among those who are speculated to be leaving this summer. Given that two consecutive end-of-season meltdowns have occurred, albeit in different circumstances, the Arsenal boss may be considering a fresh changing-room strategy.

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