Topics: Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea
The Gunners have a deal in principle for Chelsea's German attacker but the race for Declan Rice appears to have gotten trickier.

While the Kai Havertz links have been quite polarizing among Arsenal fans, the Premier League giants are on the brink of signing the German talent. This is according to David Ornstein of the Athletic, with the report claiming that the Gunners have agreed a deal in principle for the Chelsea flop.

According to Ornstein, Arteta's side will fork out roughly £65M ($83M) for the former Bayer Leverkusen sensation. All that is left to iron out is the structure of the deal, with personal terms having been wrapped up already.

In fact, Havertz move to the Emirates Stadium could be wrapped up this week, which will be a huge boost for Arteta as the Spaniard aims to get the majority of his targets through the door before the pre-season. However, there have been some concerning updates regarding Arsenal's priority target for the summer: Declan Rice.

According to another report by the Athletic, Rice is also on the radar of Manchester City, the treble winners who have the finances to blow Arsenal out of the water. However, a bid from the Cityzens for the West Ham captain hinged on Ilkay Gundogan and whether the German midfielder would leave this summer.

And now, the former Dortmund ace has reportedly decided to leave the Etihad Stadium. Toni Juanmartí first broke this news, reporting that the 32-year-old has decided to leave the Premier League champions for Barcelona.

And to go a step further, Relevo claims that Gundogan is already undergoing his Blaugrana medical test and will put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the option of an additional year. This means Manchester City, despite all but signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, will be on the hunt for another midfielder, thus clearing a path for a Declan Rice bid.

However, there are a number of issues that must be resolved before Arsenal fans should begin fearing the worst. The first is whether Barcelona can register Gundogan, which has been an issue for the Spanish giants over the past few years due to FFP.

Additionally, there is Rice's general preference. According to several reputable sources, the Three Lions midfielder prefers to remain in London and is thus favoring a move to Arsenal. Man City would have to convince the player otherwise, and while that is a possibility, this should afford the Gunners time to make a third bid.