Arsenal will find it 'very difficult' to sign £170m duo at the Emirates | OneFootball

Arsenal may struggle to sign West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo at the Emirates Stadium this summer, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has hinted to GIVEMESPORT.

The midfield duo have been linked with moves to Mikel Arteta’s side since the January transfer window.

Arsenal transfer news – Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo

As per a report in The Times in January, Arsenal have made Declan Rice their top summer target for the summer transfer window and are hopeful that an £80m deal can secure his services from West Ham.

It is thought that the 24-year-old will leave the London Stadium at the end of the season in search of Champions League football and a regular battle for honours.

Meanwhile, Evening Standard reporter Simon Collings has recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Gunners are keeping an eye on January target Caicedo, whom Brighton demanded £90m for in the winter transfer window.

And Sheth believes that the money Arsenal may spend on bringing Rice to the Emirates Stadium could leave a severe dent in their transfer budget, and the north London side might move on to strengthening other departments.

What has Sheth said about Arsenal’s transfer strategy?

When discussing the possibility of Arsenal signing Rice, Sheth told GIVEMESPORT: “Would that mean no Moises Caicedo? It would be very, very difficult to get both.

“I've always said they would be in the market for both. But I just wonder if they were to bring in someone like Declan Rice, who would cost more than £60m-£80m depending on whom you listen to, and if you listen to West Ham, he's a £100m player, then I think that that might be the budget that they use for the midfield area, and they'd still want to strengthen it in other areas as well.”

Would Caicedo and Rice be good signings for Arsenal?

Caicedo and Rice could prove to be excellent signings for the Gunners this summer, with the midfield duo showing their excellence regularly in the Premier League.

Caicedo has made 32 top-flight appearances in his two seasons at the Amex Stadium, hitting the back of the net twice whilst providing the same amount of assists from his deep-lying role.

Meanwhile, Rice has amassed almost 200 Premier League outings since his debut in 2017, bagging eight goals and laying off ten assists.

The 39-cap England international has even acted as captain for the Irons this campaign following Mark Noble’s retirement last season.

Therefore, Arsenal would be signing two talented defensive midfielders in both Caicedo and Rice, but the club will have to be willing to spend the majority of next season’s transfer budget if they are insistent on securing the signatures of both.