The Sun are reporting that Arsenal are considering a January move for West Ham’s teenage centre-back Declan Rice, in a bid to inject some youth into their ageing back-line.

The 17-year-old is highly regarded in East London, and came to prominence after impressing during the Hammers’ pre-season tour of Austria in the summer.

And, according to the Sun, it has been Rice’s superb performances for West Ham’s academy side that has caught Gunners boss Arsene Wenger’s attention.

With both Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny both into there 30’s, it is no surprise that central defence is an area where Arsenal will be looking to strengthen over the next year or so.

The report suggests that the Gunners will not have things all their own way in their pursuit of West Ham’s under-23 captain, with the Hammers set to resist any potential approach for one of their most valuable young commodities.

The Republic of Ireland under-17 international still has three years remaining on his current deal at West Ham, so the East London outfit will certainly be in no rush to sell the promising teenager.

Bilic will be desperate to avoid losing one of the club’s stars for the future to a Premier League rival, but as the club’s struggles continue this season, he has bigger problems on his mind at this stage.

Nevertheless, West Ham will have to remain aware of reported interest from Arsenal, as the Gunners could soon swoop and attempt to persuade Rice to start the next chapter of his career in north London.