Arsenal forget Bellingham to chase top transfer target

Robin Bairner

• 24 Feb 2023 13:22 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are ready to cut their losses on chasing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham to focus their energy on signing West Ham’s Declan Rice instead.

The Gunners had a productive January transfer window, signing Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho, but still want an additional option to the Italy international in midfield.

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Top of the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side will be able to move up a gear in the transfer market in the summer and will be challenging for leading players.

Bellingham is a figure that Arteta appreciates, but instead he is set to focus his energy on signing Rice instead.

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Why Arsenal will target Rice over Bellingham

According to The Athletic, Arsenal are ready to give up on signing Bellingham because the competition will be too intense and the cost of the deal will be prohibitive to them.

Although the Gunners might be outmatching the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in the Premier League, a long period away from challenging for top honours means that they have fallen behind these rivals financially and cannot yet hope to fight for the most expensive players in the game.

Bellingham will not be an easy race to win. It will take both financial muscle and a great deal of effort to tempt him away from other major clubs.

Rice, though, is more viable for Arteta’s side. Indeed, FootballTransfers understands that the England midfielder has actively made Arsenal his priority for the summer. In contrast, Bellingham’s future is much less clearly defined.

With just a year left to run on his contract, West Ham have been bullish over the type of fee that Rice will command, with manager David Moyes persistently suggesting that it will be in excess of €113 million (£100m). The reality is, though, that will be complicated for the Hammers to achieve given the balance of power is moving rapidly away from them as his deal winds down.

His price will certainly not be as huge as that of Bellingham, who has been given a gigantic asking price for €170m (£150m) by BVB.

Furthermore, Arsenal hope that by targeting Rice as their primary option, it means that they will be in pole position for the West Ham star when other suitors inevitably make a play for him after missing out on Bellingham.