Arsenal’s Contingency Plan for Declan Rice Transfer
Arsenal is preparing a contingency plan in case they fail to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice. The Gunners have been pursuing the England international since January, and he has been their number one transfer priority. However, Manchester City has entered the race to sign the midfielder, offering £80m with an additional £10m in add-ons. Despite this, it falls short of West Ham’s £100m asking price, and Arsenal is set to submit their third bid this week.
Rice’s preference is to join Arsenal, but the chance to play under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City could be tempting, especially with Ilkay Gundogan’s departure opening up a spot in the champions’ midfield engine room. Arsenal is mindful of a repeat of the January window when their move for Mykhailo Mudryk was hijacked by Chelsea. With that in mind, they are keeping tabs on Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and could make a move for the France international should their pursuit of Rice end in failure.
Fofana has been capped ten times at senior level by Les Bleus and was part of Didier Deschamps’ squad, which finished last year’s World Cup as runners-up to Argentina. Arsenal also holds a long-standing interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicdeo, but the Ecuador international is said to favor a move to Chelsea with whom personal terms have already been agreed.
Romeo Lavia of Southampton represents another Arsenal target, but the Gunners will face competition from Liverpool for the services of the former City starlet. Arteta is planning an overhaul of Arsenal’s midfield this summer with Granit Xhaka likely to complete a move to Bayer Leverkusen, while Thomas Partey could be sold amid interest from clubs in Italy and Saudi Arabia.
Arsenal’s Contingency Plan: Youssouf Fofana
Youssouf Fofana is a 22-year-old French midfielder who currently plays for AS Monaco. He joined the club in January 2020 from RC Strasbourg and has since made 47 appearances, scoring two goals and providing three assists. Fofana is a versatile midfielder who can play as a defensive midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder. He is known for his excellent passing range, dribbling ability, and work rate.
Fofana has been capped ten times by the French national team at senior level and was part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the 2019 World Cup. He is highly regarded in France and has been compared to N’Golo Kante due to his similar playing style and work ethic.
Arsenal’s Contingency Plan: Moises Caicdeo
Moises Caicdeo is a 23-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder who currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion. He joined the club in January 2018 from Independiente del Valle and has since made 63 appearances, scoring two goals and providing six assists. Caicdeo is a versatile midfielder who can play as a central midfielder or a winger. He is known for his excellent dribbling ability, pace, and work rate.
Caicdeo has been capped 19 times by the Ecuadorian national team at senior level and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Copa America. He is highly regarded in South America and has been linked with a move to Chelsea, with whom personal terms have already been agreed.
Arsenal’s Contingency Plan: Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia is an 18-year-old French midfielder who currently plays for Southampton. He joined the club in July 2021 from Manchester City and has yet to make his debut for the Saints. Lavia is a defensive midfielder who is known for his excellent tackling ability, passing range, and work rate.
Lavia was highly regarded at Manchester City and was part of their under-18 team that won the Premier League Cup in 2020. He is seen as a player with a bright future and has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
Conclusion
Arsenal is preparing a contingency plan in case they fail to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice. The Gunners have been pursuing the England international since January, but Manchester City has entered the race to sign the midfielder. Arsenal is mindful of a repeat of the January window when their move for Mykhailo Mudryk was hijacked by Chelsea. With that in mind, they are keeping tabs on Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and could make a move for the France international should their pursuit of Rice end in failure. They also hold a long-standing interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicdeo and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. Arsenal is planning an overhaul of their midfield this summer, with Granit Xhaka likely to complete a move to Bayer Leverkusen, while Thomas Partey could be sold amid interest from clubs in Italy and Saudi Arabia.