Lightning could be about to strike twice for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, with the news that West Ham are closing in on an agreement with Man City for Declan Rice.
The Gunners have dilly-dallied with two bids which they knew was well below the price that the Hammers were willing to sell for, and by so doing, they could well have paid the price.
As happened with Mikhailo Mudryk, who eventually signed for Chelsea because Arsenal couldn’t get the deal over the line, another major target could be moving away from a switch to the Emirates Stadium.
Even if it’s believed that Rice’s preference is to move to the Emirates Stadium, if Arsenal aren’t prepared to meet the Hammers valuation, that is an option that will not be open to him.
According to a tweet from reliable journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, there is confidence at the treble winners that they will reach a final agreement with the east Londoners for their captain.
Such a power play really does put the ball firmly in Arsenal’s court now, as they need to move quickly in order to ensure that they get their man.
From West Ham’s point of view, this developing situation is ideal as it means that they can, potentially, play the two Premier League sides off against each other.
Given that they don’t have to sell Rice either, David Sullivan is in just about as perfect a position as it’s possible for a chairman to be.