Arsenal tipped for ‘perfect’ Rice signing by Wilshere after chat

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Arsenal icon Jack Wilshere has urged the Gunners to complete the signing of Declan Rice this summer and says the West Ham captain would be the “perfect fit” under boss Mikel Arteta. Rice looks set to depart the Hammers this summer, where he previously played alongside Wilshere, though Arsenal could face competition from the likes of Chelsea for his signature.

David Moyes has previously stated that any club that wishes to sign Rice in the summer will need to pay a British transfer record fee, eclipsing the £107million figure that took Enzo Fernandez to Stamford Bridge in January. Wilshere believes that Rice would develop immensely under Arteta, however, as he opened up on their private conversations and hopes that he will move to the Emirates.

“He’s a midfielder who can do anything,” Wilshere told PA. “Anyone who supports any club would want Dec to join. If I’m talking from a selfish point of view, in north London, I think he would be very good under Mikel’s watch.

“Mikel would develop him, bring him on even more and he would be massive for the team as well. I have had conversations with Dec and told him what he is doing is unbelievable, he is captain of a big Premier League club and is always learning.

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“You have to be respectful to West Ham, that is his club, but his future is in his hands and it’s very exciting for him because he’s got everything with him now and he’s picking up more and more, he’s growing into this man who could play anywhere. I’m looking forward to wherever he goes. I hope it is Arsenal, it would be a massive signing and a perfect fit.”

Arsenal have previously been named frontrunners in the race for Rice as they look to bolster Arteta’s midfield options, with him and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo under consideration. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has claimed that Rice “has to” leave the London Stadium at the end of the season, as he explained why Arsenal would be a “great option” for the 24-year-old.

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“Declan Rice has to leave West Ham,” Murphy wrote in the Daily Mail. “Ideally he would have gone last summer because it’s been hard for him to maintain his best form in a team that doesn’t keep the ball or boss games as well as others.

“He’s 100 per cent ready to move to the next level and at 24 won’t want to wait any longer for Champions League football.

“Arsenal would be a great option and I think he’d be an automatic starter. The lure of Chelsea is also strong, having grown up supporting the club and playing in their academy.”

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