England pair 'Arsenal-bound' claims 'super agent'

Stuart Telford

• 27 Apr 2023 12:50 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have been tipped to sign England midfield pair Declan Rice and Mason Mount next summer by British agent Haydn Dodge.

Rice and Mount find will find themselves two of the most in-demand players in next summer's transfer market.

Two of the first names on Gareth Southgate's England teamsheet, Rice looks to have outgrown his surroundings at West Ham while Mount is refusing to sign a new contract at Chelsea whilst the footballing operation teeters under Todd Boehly's stewardship.

READ: Mason Mount's STAGGERING salary demands to reject Liverpool

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are the teams that have been most closely linked with Rice, with Liverpool look to be at the front of the queue to sign Mount, but Dodge thinks they could end up as teammates at the Emirates next term.

Disappointment for Liverpool

"Declan Rice has always been a recruitment target for Liverpool, but I'm also being told that he would like to stay around London. I know Mason Mount was a big target for Liverpool around the same time," he wrote in his new CaughtOffiside column.

"But both Mount and Rice may be Arsenal bound, and I know there are some communications with Arsenal to have those two based in their midfield."

READ: Arsenal's ideal Xhaka replacement revealed

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League despite their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday evening, and greater strength in depth is needed in midfield behind Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and captain Martin Odegaard.

Rice would likely take Xhaka's place on the left of the three, or form a double pivot wit Partey, while Mount's versatility means that he or Odegaard could join Rice in the heart of the side or play further forward.

The London-based duo would set Arsenal back a pretty penny. Rice is valued at €63.3m (£56m) by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm; Mount €73.8m (£65.3m), but they will have plenty sloshing about with Champions League qualification all but assured.

Dodge heads up the Next Generation Management agency, and counts former Gunners star Andrey Arshavin among his clients.