Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay a British-record transfer fee to sign West Ham United central midfielder Declan Rice this summer.

The Lowdown: British record broken

Chelsea broke the British-record transfer fee in January when they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a whopping £106.8m.

This surpassed the £100m that Manchester City paid Aston Villa to sign Jack Grealish, but the British record could be broken again in the summer according to reports.

The Latest: Arsenal willing to go big

As per Spanish sources, Arsenal are 'willing' to pay as much as €134m (£120m) to sign Rice this summer, which would be a new British-record fee.

The report adds that Chelsea were 'close' to signing him last summer, but after already paying big money for Fernandez, Arsenal have a 'golden opportunity' to sign Rice instead.

The Verdict: Worth it?

The Gunners will have a big decision to make in the summer over whether they should be paying so much for Rice.

Only Thomas Partey can match him for average tackles (2.3) per game in the Premier League in Mikel Arteta's squad, while nobody can match him for interceptions (1.7), suggesting that he could be a level-raiser in the middle of the park.

Hailed as a ‘monster’, a ‘force of nature’, a ‘leader’ and a ‘serious talent’ by journalist Rob Blanchette, the six-foot-one colossus is thought of very highly, and at 24 years of age, he has not reached his peak yet.

Being an England international means that the north Londoners will have to pay a premium for Rice, but he could turn out to be worth it in the long- term.