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Mikel Arteta. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Some footballers are priceless and it would cost a small fortune for Arsenal to let Declan Rice leave, even if he might, deepdown, want the move.
Declan Rice wanted by Real Madrid
A sign of players doing well is when other teams start sniffing about, and despite his importance for Arsenal, Rice would be a ‘dream signing’ for Real Madrid’s president as they continue to struggle in midfield without the experienced duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
According to Defensa Central: “If there's one player in England Florentino Pérez would like to sign right now, it's Declan Rice . It's true he's always liked Rodri, but he's already 29, while Rice, at 26, would have more playing time. That's why he's set his sights on the Arsenal player.”
Financially, Arsenal don’t need to sell Rice. Unless the player himself through his toys out of the pram and demanded to move, he will continue to be Arteta’s main man. After all, Rice could have left West Ham long before he did, but was loyal and showed a humility that is often missing in the modern game.
Unfortunately for Arteta, if Rice was interested in leaving, it would be for Los Blancos with the England international revealing that he has always had a fondness for the La Liga giants according to the same report: "My all-time favorite shirt is the 2004 Real Madrid shirt with Beckham's name on it. I remember wearing it all the time as a kid. Obviously, I also have a lot of admiration for Real Madrid. The white shirt really stands out.”
Would Arteta be willling to part with Rice?
If it is down to Arteta though, Rice is going nowhere, when asked after Rice scored a brace against Bournemouth if his no.41 is world-class, the Gunners boss didn’t mince his words, via Sky Sports: "Yes, for me, yes. Declan is constantly adding things to his game, he's constantly adding things to his role in the team. I don't see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. He's such a pivotal player for us.
"He was so disappointed not to play against Villa. He really wanted it. He tried in the morning, he was nowhere near a possibility. He wanted to train the next day, it wasn't a possibility. Until the last minute I asked him [before Bournemouth], how are you feeling? He said, I'm in. And he showed that he was big-time in."
If Arsenal continue on their current path and win the title, how he drove his team through the pain barrier to three points against Bournemouth will be remembered as one of many displays where he was a powerhouse, just like Yaya Toure who he modelled his game on, at both ends of the park.
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