Arsenal are days away from making an official proposal for West Ham United's Declan Rice, claims transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The update comes off the back of the Irons' triumph in the Europa Conference League just last week.
Arsenal Transfer News – Declan Rice
The West Ham captain has been heavily linked with a move to north London since the closing stages of the January transfer window earlier this year.
The most significant update in the whole saga came in the immediate aftermath of the Hammers' victory in the Conference League final, when chairman David Sullivan confirmed the player would leave in the summer.
Other teams have reportedly been interested in the player alongside the Gooners, notably the German giants Bayern Munich.
The interest from the Bundesliga champions primarily stemmed from manager Thomas Tuchel's "admiration" for the England international.
However, it looks like it's Mikel Arteta and Arsenal who are "confident" that they will land the "absolute monster", as described by ESPN writer David Cartlidge.
The deal is expected to be worth in the region of £100m if certain add-ons are achieved, which would be a new British transfer record, per the Guardian.
What has transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said about Declan Rice to Arsenal?
Romano updated Arsenal fans on the deal's progress and stressed that the official proposal was just around the corner.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano claimed: "I can confirm what I said weeks ago, days ago, and I keep saying, Arsenal will bid for Declan Rice. While I'm speaking, they are preparing the official proposal, the bid will arrive soon, we are just waiting for that moment, but Arsenal will send an official bid for Declan Rice. The idea has always been to bid this week, so let's wait and see."
Romano also clarified Bayern Munich's stance towards the player, saying: "Bayern sources feel that the player is now orientated 100% to staying in the Premier League as priority. It's up to the clubs now, there is no problem on the personal terms."
"So Arsenal working on Declan Rice deal. This is an important update for the Gunners."
Would Declan Rice be a good signing for Arsenal?
With the expected departure of long-term player Granit Xhaka to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, a player like Rice would be an ideal replacement.
According to WhoScored, the English midfielder averages a rating of 7.01 across his 36 league appearances this year, marginally better than the Swiss captain's 6.98.
The underlying numbers better highlight the West Ham man's abilities.
According to FBref, Rice completes 1.36 tackles per 90 compared to Xhaka's 1.14, and the 24-year-old also completes one take-on per 90 compared to the ex-Gladbach man's 0.51.
Temperament is something else the 24-year-old midfielder has over the man he may replace, as he has averaged only 0.14 yellow cards a game, around half the number of the hot-headed Gunner.
Whilst most will agree that Xhaka has certainly improved this year, the potential purchase of the Kingston upon Thames-born midfielder would be an upgrade.
Former West Ham goalkeeper turned pundit Shaka Hislop thinks so, telling Ladbrokes Fanzone: 'it's time to move away from Xhaka, in which case Rice is a good fit.'
If Romano is right, the Gunners won't have to wait much longer to see their man in red and white.
