- 17 hours ago
Chelsea to make another €100m-plus HIJACK of Arsenal target
Robin Bairner
- 15 Mar 2023 07:58 GMT
- 2 min read
Chelsea and Arsenal have regularly crossed paths in the transfer market over the course of the last year – and the two Premier League giants are set to do so again in the summer.
The battle for Mykhailo Mudryk in January was won by Chelsea, which in turn opened the door for Leandro Trossard, a player both clubs had been interested in, to move to Arsenal. Meanwhile, Moises Caicedo proved something of a dead heat, with neither club able to make Brighton sell the Ecuador international.
In the summer, meanwhile, West Ham’s Declan Rice will come onto the radar of both teams.
FootballTransfers understands that the England international midfielder, 24, prefers a move to Arsenal, but there is a sense that Chelsea may be able to price the Gunners out of a move, much like they did in the Mudryk case.
MORE: Mudryk in Chelsea first... then hints at Arsenal admiration
Is Rice Mudryk all over again?
“Chelsea obviously want to further strengthen their central midfield. They will battle Arsenal for Declan Rice. The West Ham midfielder has spoken glowingly about Mikel Arteta and wants Champions League football. But Chelsea certainly haven’t given up,” CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs explained.
“David Moyes is citing Enzo Fernandez’s British-record transfer (€121m). Arsenal don’t want to go that high. Chelsea might be prepared to offer West Ham a stronger financial package, in which case there are some loose parallels with the Mykhaylo Mudryk hijack.
“But the big difference is both clubs have been eyeing up Rice for quite some time, and working on the player side, and Chelsea have never been clear frontrunners.
“When Arsenal and Chelsea go head-to-head for a player it’s always a battle of styles. Arsenal have a more developed project and almost certain Champions League football, but Chelsea have a long-term vision and aren’t afraid to offer good money, even within their new model, which is designed to lower the overall wage bill.
“I think what helps Arsenal, though, is they may be prepared to spend a bit more on top targets given the season they’re having and income they’ll bring in.”
Rice has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €64m, but the figures West Ham are talking about demanding for their star player exceed that figure dramatically.
