Declan Rice appears just as excited as Arsenal fans up and down the country regarding his impending £105million transfer to the Gunners. Mikel Arteta and Edu identified the 24-year-old as their priority summer signing in the wake of the January transfer window, and they finally look set to get their man after fighting off interest from Manchester City and agreeing on a fee with West Ham.
Negotiations continued in the days following that verbal agreement with payment terms a key factor from West Ham's perspective. Accepting the third proposal will see £100million in guaranteed funds come the way of the Hammers, but Arsenal were attempting to spread the cost, whereas West Ham wanted the full payment with them by the start of 2025.
While that did prove to be a slight stumbling block, a compromise appears to have been met with it being widely reported that a final agreement for Rice will arrive on Monday. The Gunners are also hoping to complete a £40million move for Jurrien Timber this week and Arsenal fans have spotted the club possibly dropping a hint over when their official announcements could be by blocking off July 3 and 8 for stadium tours due to 'club activity'.
Despite the interest from Man City and eventual bid, Emirates Stadium remained as Rice's preferred destination following his conversation with Arteta earlier this year. To further showcase his desperation to get the move over the line following a dramatic summer saga, Rice cut his holiday to Dubai short in order to undergo an Arsenal medical, according to The Mirror.
Their report notes that the England international chose to return home so he can rubber-stamp the move swiftly. Elsewhere in the window for Arsenal, a £65million deal for Kai Havertz has already been announced and the north Londoners have already booked in Timber's medical after finalising their verbal agreement with Ajax.
The futures of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey continue to remain unclear with both open to new challenges. However, if one departs, another midfield acquisition will likely need to be made with Romeo Lavia appearing as the obvious candidate.
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Rice and Timber announcements, Laporte interest, Lavia talks
Southampton's £50million price tag is considered too high by most interested parties but Liverpool and Chelsea still remain in the race. To raise funds, Kieran Tierney and Folarin Balogun are expected to depart the club with AC Milan interested in signing the latter and they now have the financial means to do so after Sandro Tonali's €70million (£60million) move to Newcastle was confirmed.
