It seems as though Arsenal are pretty close to pulling off their first transfer of the summer with all the rumours suggesting Declan Rice is heading to the Emirates.

What is the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?

Yes, as per The Guardian, the Gunners are closing in on a £100m deal to bring the West Ham United captain to North London in the near future.

It's noted that while a bid is yet to be submitted, talks between the sides have been progressing smoothly and there is confidence that the deal will be finalised shortly.

And with the transfer market now officially open, it seems as though it could be only a matter of time before we see Rice unveiled as Arsenal's first summer signing.

Interestingly, however, it appears that he's been on the club's radar for some time. Indeed, a 2019 article from the Evening Standard recalls how former boss Arsene Wenger first encountered Rice as a youngster.

The article claimed that back in 2015, the iconic manager was watching an academy game between Arsenal and West Ham and needed just 20 minutes to recognise that the English midfielder was the best player on the pitch.

It explained: "Arsene Wenger had been watching for 20 minutes when he decided he had seen enough.

"It was early one afternoon in September 2015 and Wenger had been standing by one of the pitches at Arsenal’s training ground watching his Under-18s play West Ham.

"As he walked away, he turned to a member of his coaching staff and pointed out that the best player on the pitch was Declan Rice.

"A 16-year-old Rice was playing at centre-back for West Ham. Arsenal went on to win the game 1-0 but Wenger was left in no doubt that he was a real talent.

"Just 18 months earlier, Rice had been released by Chelsea and the way he stood out that day in front of Wenger was an early sign of how hard he would work in a bid to rise to the top."

Can Declan Rice play centre-back?

It's fascinating to remember that Rice was initially seen as a centre-back and even last year the 24-year-old had to insist that his best position was further up the pitch.

He told TalkSport: "Look, if I had to drop back in to a centre-half in a back-three, of course I'd do a job for the team.

"But my best position is midfield. I don't want to be at the back because I feel like then I won't be able to show my full qualities that I can do on a football pitch like I do in midfield."

Well, it seems certain that he'll be playing in his favoured role at Arsenal and it will certainly be interesting to see how he gets on under the coaching of Mikel Arteta.

With the deal expected to cost around £100m, though, perhaps Wenger should have acted on his instincts all those years ago and convinced the Gunners to snap up the youngster back then when his potential was yet to be fulfilled.

It certainly would have saved the club a pretty penny.