Manchester United are “prepared to compete” with Arsenal for the signature of West Ham captain Declan Rice, according to Football.London.

The website claims that manager Erik ten Hag has made Rice and Chelsea’s Mason Mount his “two key targets” for the summer window.

It is believed that United have “requested” to be kept informed if other clubs do make bids for Rice and, from the looks of things, a formal offer from a rival Premier League club could be tabled very soon.

The 24-year-old is a priority target for the Gunners and it has been widely reported that they will step up their interest with an approach for the player after Wednesday night’s Conference League final.

Arsenal are expected to go in strong with their first bid for Rice

Football.London report that Mikel Arteta’s side are lining up an opening offer worth £90m for the England international.

Even though it will be a club record fee, many assume that West Ham will reject the proposal as they are holding out for between £100m and £120m.

Will United be able to compete with Arsenal?

It has been claimed that the Manchester club’s summer transfer budget is only around £100m to £150m, which suggests they may not have the resources to go after Rice, especially if they are also interested in signing Mount.

However, it should be pointed out that there is potential for a part-exchange deal, as West Ham are interested in four of United’s players.

Captain Harry Maguire, fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka, midfielder Scott McTominay and forward Antony Martial could all be used as potential makeweights, which could significantly reduce the upfront cost of the transfer.

Of course, a lot depends on Rice’s transfer preference as well. It has been suggested that he would prefer a move to the Emirates so we shall see how this story unfolds in the coming days.