Arsenal are now believed to be ready to submit their opening bid for West Ham United's Declan Rice following the completion of their campaign.
Will Declan Rice leave West Ham?
The Premier League campaign from the Hammers left a lot to be desired as they were forced to settle for an underwhelming 14th-placed finish.
However, on Wednesday night they enjoyed European triumph after beating Fiorentina in the third-string competition to end their trophy drought.
And it was Rice who was the first to get his hands on the Europa Conference League trophy in Prague as he captained the Irons to victory in the final.
But it seems that may have been the final time he may have put on a West Ham shirt with a number of clubs believed to be interested in him.
And the player even recognised the interest in him ahead of the summer window in his post-game interview with BT Sports:
“At the moment there’s a lot of speculation going on about my future. There is interest out there from other clubs but ultimately I’ve still got two years left at West Ham, I love this club, there hasn’t been anything yet," he said.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has now claimed Arsenal are ready to submit their first bid for the 24-year-old now the final is out of the way with:
"Now it's going to be time for the big transfer and the feeling is that Arsenal have this bid ready for Declan Rice.
"Preparing that proposal it will arrive and be submitted very soon to try to tempt West Ham but it is also important to say that Bayern [Munich] are interested, yes, but they feel that the player would love to stay in the Premier League."
Will West Ham allow Rice to leave?
On the back of such a huge achievement in the club's history, it would be understandable if the West Ham owners were to double down on keeping their captain.
Rice has played a huge role in this squad over the years having already racked up a whopping 245 appearances by the age of just 24.
However, on the back of the final in Prague, owner David Sullivan has claimed he has promised the midfielder the opportunity to move on this summer:
"I think it has to be [his last game]. We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going," Sullivan told TalkSPORT.
"I think the offers will start to come today. There are three or four clubs who have shown interest, but out of respect to West Ham, while we're still playing, you don't make offers for players."
Now it seems as if the Hammers would be willing to allow their prized asset leave the club, it will be intriguing to see how much Sullivan will demand for the midfielder who only has one year left on his deal.