Florentino Pérez doesn't do subtlety. When the Real Madrid president identifies a target, the pursuit becomes relentless. And according to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, his latest obsession wears Arsenal's number 41.
Declan Rice has emerged as Pérez's "dream signing" for 2026—a player the president reportedly considers the perfect solution to Real Madrid's midfield identity crisis. The reasoning is straightforward: at 26, Rice offers a decade of elite-level football, something the 29-year-old Rodri cannot match. Time, in Florentino's calculations, always matters.
The Bernabéu midfield problem
Real Madrid's engine room has been sputtering since Toni Kroos retired. Luka Modrić's departure to AC Milan last summer only deepened the wound. Xabi Alonso inherited a squad crying out for midfield reinforcement, yet the club failed to sign a single central midfielder during the summer window.
That decision looks increasingly costly. Names like Enzo Fernández, Vitinha, Moises Caicedo, and Adam Wharton have all been linked, but none have progressed beyond speculation. Rice, by contrast, represents something different—a proven Premier League commodity with Champions League pedigree and leadership qualities that transcend statistics.
The 5-1 demolition by Arsenal in last season's Champions League only amplified Madrid's appreciation for Rice's influence. He dominated that fixture, controlling tempo, breaking lines, and making the kind of decisive interventions that the Bernabéu has lacked since Casemiro's peak years.
Arsenal's immovable position
Here's the reality check. Arsenal have absolutely no intention of selling their most transformative signing. Rice arrived from West Ham in 2023 for a club-record £105 million, and his value has only increased. Fichajes reports that the Gunners would demand at least €150 million for any conversation to even begin.
Mikel Arteta views Rice as foundational to everything Arsenal are building. With the club leading the Premier League and finally challenging for major honours, selling their midfield anchor would be self-sabotage of the highest order.
Rice's contract runs until 2028, with an option for an additional year. There's no financial pressure, no performance concerns, and no indication the player wants to leave. Arsenal sources have told multiple outlets that discussions over an extension are already planned, designed to secure Rice through his prime years.
The Beckham connection
Yet one detail offers Madrid a sliver of hope. Rice has publicly admitted his fondness for the club. His favourite shirt growing up? The 2004 Real Madrid kit with Beckham's name on the back. That's not nothing. Players who dream of wearing the white shirt often find their way there eventually.
But dreaming and leaving a title-contending Arsenal for a Madrid side still finding its identity under Alonso are very different propositions. Rice chose to stay at West Ham for years despite interest from elite clubs. Loyalty, for him, isn't just a word.
Pérez may persist. He usually does. But this feels like a transfer that exists in imagination rather than reality—at least for now.
