Arsenal are preparing a deal “internally” to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice at the Emirates Stadium this summer, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.

Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his midfield options within his Gunners squad ahead of next season.

Arsenal transfer news – Declan Rice

Writing in his CaughtOffside column, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano stated that Rice has always been Arsenal’s top transfer target, and he remains their priority ahead of the summer window.

The Italian journalist says the Gunners are preparing a transfer offer for the 24-year-old.

But this won’t be an easy process given that West Ham are focused on their Europa Conference League final with Fiorentina in June.

Romano has recently told GIVEMESPORT that Arsenal will hold talks over the signing of Rice next month as they look to wade off competition for his signature.

And Jacobs believes that David Moyes’ valuation of £120m for Rice is “unrealistic” given he has just one-year remaining on his £60,000 per-week contract at the London Stadium.

What has Jacobs said about Arsenal and Rice?

Speaking about a potential Arsenal move for Rice, Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “With Declan Rice, a lot of the prep is being done internally at Arsenal as they start to understand what they may need to get Rice and what is more gamesmanship on the West Ham side. So, this British transfer record number and David Moyes has even said as large as £120m is, in my opinion, unrealistic from West Ham.

“Comparing Rice to Enzo Fernandez is not necessarily apt. Of course, if we're comparing footballer to footballer, you can make a comparison. But the situation with Enzo was that he had a sky-high release clause, and Chelsea desperately wanted him. Whereas with Declan Rice, he’s got one year plus a one-year extension left on the contract. That affects the valuation, as does Declan Rice wanting to leave West Ham.

“After being extremely firm on keeping him last summer, there has always been an understanding that Rice could depart for the right opportunity, and West Ham have been resigned in many ways to losing Rice.”

Would Rice be a good signing for Arsenal?

Rice would be an excellent signing for Arsenal, and his addition to Arteta’s squad could be a necessity, with Granit Xhaka set to depart for Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

The 41-cap England international has made 48 appearances for the Irons this term, bagging five goals and providing four assists after playing a critical part in helping the east London side reach next month’s Europa Conference League final.

Despite the Hammers flirting with the drop for large parts of the season, Rice has achieved an average WhoScored rating of 7.04 for his Premier League displays this term ranking him as the squad’s best-performing player, having made one tackle and 1.5 interceptions per game.

The London-born star has been an exceptional on and off-pitch leader for West Ham following Mark Noble’s retirement last season but may feel that now is the time to make the step up and seal a move to the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal prepare for their first Champions League campaign since the 2016/17 campaign.