ARSENAL are now leading contenders to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.


That's according to bookmakers Sky Bet, who have installed Mikel Arteta's side at 4-1 to clinch the player's signature ahead of their rivals. Arsenal have made the England star their priority target, and are increasingly confident of winning the battle. David Moyes' Hammers value the 24-year-old at £100million, but it's thought they would accept around £80m for his services. Rice is desperate for Champions League football and has rejected West Ham’s last three contract offers, the last of which was £200k a week. Arsenal boast an eight-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table, and look set to qualify for UEFA's top competition at the very least. Liverpool are their closest rivals at 6-1 with Jurgen Klopp desperate to booster his midfield ranks. James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are out of contract in June, while Jordan Henderson (32), Thiago Alcantara (31) and Fabinho (29) are all ageing. Chelsea are next at 8-1 with Todd Boehly clearly in the mood to invest heavily in younger talent. Manchester United and Tottenham are available at 16-1 and 20-1, ahead of Manchester City (25-1), Newcastle (33-1) and Real Madrid (33-1).

Rice made his future plans very clear while away with England at the World Cup, and stated his desire to play at the highest level. He told reporters: "One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years I've been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in."