Arsenal have reached a final agreement with West Ham and have just two steps to complete before they can announce the signing of Declan Rice.
The Gunners agreed a headline fee of £105million with West Ham last week, but the structure of the deal had become a sticking point. As reported by Mirror Football, Arsenal had proposed paying £75m up front, £25m spread over the five years of the contract and £5m in add-ons.
After protracted negotiations, they have now settled on a structure which suits West Ham. That will see Rice become the Premier League's most expensive British player, eclipsing his England team-mate Jack Grealish, who moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City for £100m in 2021.
Rice, who cut short his holiday to get the move done, now needs to finalise the personal terms of the transfer and complete a medical. The 24-year-old midfielder always had his heart set on a transfer to Arsenal and he is now just a few steps away from making it happen.
Mikel Arteta made Rice his number one transfer target this summer and sporting director Edu has worked hard to get the deal done. Rice will become the focal point of Arteta’s midfield next season, with his arrival allowing Granit Xhaka to leave for Bayer Leverkusen.
Thomas Partey has also been linked with a move to Juventus, meaning the Gunners’ midfield will look completely different to last season, when they pushed City hard but ultimately came up short in the race for the Premier League title.
Rice will become Arsenal’s second signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrival of Kai Havertz from Chelsea. The German forward signed a five-year contract after the Gunners stumped up £65m for his signature.
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Arsenal have been busy in the transfer window and are also chasing the signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. The 22-year-old, who can play centre-back and right-back, is expected to complete a £45m move in the coming days.
A deal for Rice has been a long time coming for Arsenal, who decided to take a measured approach in the bidding for the England star. West Ham rejected two offers – the second of which was worth £90m – before they upped their bid, with the threat of City looming.
City backed out of the running once it was clear that Arsenal were willing to make Rice a record signing. Rice had a year left on his West Ham contract, but the club made it clear they would not stand in his way this summer.
He will leave the club with a real legacy, having captained the side to the Europa Conference League title in May – their first major piece of silverware since the 1980 FA Cup.
