West Ham United appear to have all-but-confirmed Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal this summer. The Hammers captain is closing in on a £105 million ($134m) move to the Gunners after an agreement was reached between the two clubs last week.
The deal will see Rice become the North Londoners' club-record signing, surpassing the £72m ($92.2m) arrival of Nicolas Pepe from Lille four years ago. A deal worth £100m ($128m) with £5m ($6.4m) in add-ons was agreed after Arsenal saw bids of £80m ($102.5m) and £90m ($115m) turned down.
Personal terms have never been an issue with Rice. It's been widely reported that the England international preferred a move to the Emirates Stadium over Manchester City, with Mikel Arteta's project a key driving force in their pursuit.
A move is getting closer to completion, with Rice currently enjoying his final summer break ahead of the 2023/24 season, before joining Kai Havertz through the door at Arsenal. However, West Ham may have dropped the biggest hint yet that the 24-year-old will be leaving the club.
On Monday, the Hammers released their new home shirt for the new season using a number of players from their men's and women's team. Jarrod Bowen, Maxwel Cornet, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes and Thilo Kehrer all featured in the promo video, alongside Hawa Cissoko and Risa Shimizu.
However, eagle-eyed supporters would have noticed that there was no sign of Rice in any of the material throughout the club's social media during the release of the new kit.
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It's expected that West Ham have been anticipating Rice's exit for some time. Arsenal's interest in the midfielder has increased in the last six months, with Rice understood to be Arteta's priority target this summer.
The deal isn't completed yet, with the completion and announcement of the move expected this week. Alongside Rice, the Gunners are also closing in on the signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. The centre-back is set to join Arteta's side for £38.5m ($49.3m) to bolster Arsenal's options in defence.
