Your morning Arsenal transfer roundup on Wednesday, July 5.
Arsenal move step closer to Declan Rice £105m transfer
Arsenal have moved a step closer to finalising a £105million deal to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice this summer. The Gunners had a third bid worth £100million - with an additional £5million available in add-ons - accepted by the Hammers with the two clubs negotiating a suitable payment structure in the last few days.
Arsenal had originally hoped to pay the initial £100million fee over the course of five years. However, West Ham were pushing to receive the full payment by the end of 2024.
Rice has his heart set on a move to north London and despite being open to a move to Manchester City - before Pep Guardiola's side pulled out of the race for his signature - the 24-year-old is keen to work with Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium. football.london reported back in January that Rice was the Gunners' primary target for the summer transfer window, with Arteta keen to strengthen his midfield options.
Arsenal are now close to finalising terms over their £105million deal for Rice, with the guaranteed portion of the fee expected to be paid in three instalments over two years, according to The Guardian. The Gunners have been forced to bring the number of instalments down in order to bring Arteta’s top summer target to the Emirates Stadium.
Talks over the nature of the add-ons are ongoing but Rice is expected to undergo a medical and join Arsenal this week. Keeping the payment structure on a shorter schedule will help West Ham’s financial position moving forward as they now look to sign a suitable replacement for the England international after being placed on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play watchlist last September.
READ MORE: Arsenal and Manchester City set for RB Salzburg transfer battle as Mikel Arteta eyes fourth deal
Arsenal learn Jeremie Frimpong transfer price
Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong this summer. The Dutchman is seen as having the right qualities for what both clubs are after in the transfer market in terms of a defensive signing.
Frimpong predominantly plays as a right-back for Leverkusen and his speed, matched with his passing ability, makes him an attractive proposition for the Gunners. Arsenal want to sign an ‘offensive’ right-back & are willing to pay up to €40million (£34m) for a ‘development-capable player’, according to SPORTBILD.
A report from Sky Sports underline interest from the north Londoners, United, Barcelona and Bayern - as well as stating that his asking price has been set at €40million (£34m) plus add-ons by Leverkusen as they brace themselves for offers. This matches up to the price tag Arsenal are willing to pay for a defender this summer as they look to add quality cover for Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Manchester United plot shock Arsenal hijack
Arsenal are considering making a move to sign Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni this summer - but Manchester United could hijack the potential transfer. The Gunners are hoping to bolster their midfield options with the signing of West Ham captain Declan Rice.
The England international is expected to complete a £105million transfer to the Emirates Stadium by the end of this week after Edu stuck an agreement with the Hammers regarding payment structure of the deal. West Ham had hoped to receive the full £100million initial fee by the end of 2024, whereas Arsenal were looking to space the payment out over five years.
This could see the Gunners make an audacious move to sign Tchouameni after Madrid completed the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. However, United are monitoring the Frenchman's situation and could hijack Arsenal's attempt to sign him.
Madrid signed the 23-year-old midfielder for £85million from Monaco last season, beating the likes of United and Liverpool to his signature. Croatian outlet Nacional claim that the Red Devils are keen to reignite their pursuit of Tchouameni.
The report adds that Erik ten Hag is pressing the club to seal a deal for the France international. However, the Dutchman is working with limited resources - especially after United had a £60million bid for Mason Mount accepted by Chelsea.
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