Arsenal are now "working on a proposal" for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.
Who will Declan Rice sign for?
Rice is likely to have a number of offers on the table this summer, but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano believes that Arsenal are the "big favourites" to win the race for his signature, although he clarifies that it is still an "open situation."
The Gunners are likely to face competition from several other Premier League clubs, with Manchester City ready to enter the race, while Chelsea and Liverpool are also still monitoring the situation, according to Football Insider.
Given that the 24-year-old has expressed his desire to play in the Champions League, Arsenal and Man City are seemingly well-placed to sign him, however Jacobs has now detailed one potential advantage Mikel Arteta may have over his former club.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, the CBS reporter said: "What Arsenal are doing is working on a proposal for Rice. He remains one of their top priorities, and we know that midfield is also a high priority position.
"Declan Rice has spoken glowingly about Arsenal. There are, of course, other suitors. Chelsea have looked and there is even admiration from Manchester United and Newcastle United.
"But I've always been told, even if it's not a deal-breaker, that Rice would, ideally, like to stay in London. That obviously gives Arsenal and Chelsea some hope, and they can use that to their advantage."
How has Rice performed this season?
It has been yet another outstanding season for the £60k-per-week midfielder, particularly in a defensive sense, having made the highest number of interceptions in the Premier League, while he is also in the top ten for tackles completed.
West Ham fans have become accustomed to their captain's fantastic displays, having been ranked by Sofascore as their best-performing Premier League player last term, and again this season, averaging a 7.20 match rating.
Arteta needs to capitalise on Arsenal being back in the Champions League by bringing in players of Rice's quality, and he would be a real upgrade on Granit Xhaka, who is likely to leave in the summer.
The England international has averaged more tackles and interceptions, while he has also recorded a better pass-completion rate per 90 than Xhaka over the past year, and he just needs to improve his attacking output in order to become the perfect central midfielder.