Arsenal thwarted Real Madrid already this year by tying down star defender William Saliba with a brand-new contract, but the La Liga giants have now reportedly set their sights on Declan Rice instead.
Much has been made about the stellar partnership of Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who are among the best centre-backs in world football, alongside the Gunners' imperious defence overall and expertise at set pieces.
Arsenal-Saliba-Gabriel (1)
These factors are undoubtedly the main catalysts behind Arsenal's 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions as Mikel Arteta's men fly high at the top of the Premier League table, with the north Londoners currently overwhelming favourites for this year's domestic crown.
Arsenal also haven't conceded a single goal in all competitions since their last-gasp 2-1 victory at Newcastle in September, and if Arteta's side continue shutting out opposition to this devastating effect, they could be on to break a record currently held by José Mourinho's Chelsea team of the 2004/2005 season.
|Least goals conceded in a Premier League campaign|
|Team|Season|Conceded|PL finish|
|---|
|Chelsea|2004-05|15|1st|
|Arsenal|1998-99|17|2nd|
|Chelsea|2005-06|22|1st|
|Man United|2007-08|22|1st|
|Liverpool|2018-19|22|2nd|
|Man City|2018-19|23|1st|
|Chelsea|2006-07|24|2nd|
|via ESPN|
While their unbreakable backline is making all the headlines right now, with full-backs Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber also standing out as Arsenal's two players of the season according to Ray Parlour, a special nod must go to Rice as well.
Arsenal's club-record signing, who joined from West Ham to the tune of £105 million in the summer of 2023, has been worth every penny of that mammoth outlay as he continues to protect the back four with real aplomb this term.
Declan-Rice-Arsenal-Burnley
According to WhoScored, Rice is not only Arsenal's best-performer in the Premier League this season, but also the third-highest rated player in the entire division by average match rating per 90 — sitting just behind former midfielder Granit Xhaka, who's impressed for Sunderland, and Man City superstar Erling Haaland.
The 26-year-old is Arsenal's midfield linchpin and absolutely vital to the way Arteta wants to play, with Rice capable of chipping in going forward too.
The England star has notched seven goal contributions in all competitions already, grabbing assists away to Slavia Prague and home to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League while also setting up his teammates against Man United, Leeds and Newcastle.
rice-merino
Rice's man of the match display against former club West Ham just before the last international break was capped off by his first goal of 2025/2026, and the ex-Hammer sealed all three points with Arsenal's second goal away to Burnley in their last league outing.
Real Madrid plot to exploit Declan Rice contract "variables" as Arsenal set huge price tag
Taking all of this into account, it is easy to see why Xabi Alonso's Real are standing up and taking notice. According to reports from Spain, Los Blancos are actively considering a move for the midfielder next year.
rice-england
Real are apparently plotting to exploit certain "contractual variables" in Rice’s deal to find a path toward reaching an agreement with Arsenal. These contractual variables could refer to specific clauses or conditions in the star's contract that Alonso's side hope to leverage, but the details behind this aren't made clear.
Nevertheless, the Spanish giants see him as a vital target to strengthen their midfield, but are aware that Arsenal have placed a massive £132 million price tag on Rice.
So, if Real are serious about trying to tempt him away from N5, they'll need to make Rice their club-record signing.
Eden Hazard is still their most expensive acquisition in history after they signed him from Chelsea in a deal worth just over £100 million in 2019, but a deal for Rice would blow that out of the water.
|Real Madrid's most expensive signings of all time|
|Player|From|Fee|Year|
|---|
|1. Eden Hazard|Chelsea|€115m|2019|
|2. Jude Bellingham|Borussia Dortmund|€113m|2023|
|3. Gareth Bale|Tottenham|€101m|2013|
|4. Cristiano Ronaldo|Man Utd|€94m|2009|
|5. Aurelien Tchouameni|Monaco|€80m|2022|
This comes amid reports that sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with Rice about a new deal at Arsenal too, so Real may well have their work cut out for them here, and Arteta is very unlikely at best to green-light an exit for one of his most important players.