Declan Rice transfer news: West Ham have agreed to a £100 million plus £5 million deal from Arsenal for Declan Rice. The third bid from the Gunners will make the midfielder the most expensive Englishman of all-time, and the most expensive signing in the history of the North Londoners. Talks between the two clubs are over the structure of the deal, and an official announcement can be expected imminently.
Manchester City have pulled out of the race, with their first bid to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United turned down. The treble winners made an £80 million plus £10 million bid, which was immediately been turned down.
West Ham United were holding out for a transfer fee worth over £100 million, and have now received an offer worth their valuation.
The Gunners are internally convinced that they can sign the England international, and consider him their priority target for this summer. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, as the player is keen on the move. An agreement between the two clubs is now close or the move to go through.
Club chairman David Sullivan has also confirmed that Rice will be allowed to leave the club this summer, as was the verbal agreement between them beforehand. He was offered a massive £200,000 per week contract 18 months ago, but he turned the offer down and sacrificed around £10 million in potential earnings to facilitate a move to a bigger club.
Declan Rice transfer news: Arsenal frontrunners with Man City out
There were several clubs which registered their interest in Rice, such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. However, with Granit Xhaka leaving Arsenal, his most likely replacement is the West Ham skipper owing to his remarkable qualities as a defensive and ball-winning midfielder. City have now left the race, leaving Arsenal free to sign their top target.
Arsenal will be returning to the Champions League next season and will have a big challenge on their hands. They will also be expected to build on their domestic success this season and be title contenders in 23/24 as well. And towards that end, reinforcements will be needed to bolster their squad. Declan Rice will be able to provide some much-needed defensive solidity, which could help them further improve their defensive performance across all competitions.
Bayern Munich had also been linked with the player’s signature with Thomas Tuchel personally speaking to Rice for a move. However, the Bavarians are aware of his desire to remain in England and have now decided to withdraw their interest from signing him.
Declan Rice transfer news: West Ham captain speaks on his future
“There’s a lot of speculation about my future. Obviously there is interest from other clubs but ultimately I’ve still got two years left at West Ham”
“We will see. I love this club, I’m the captain,“ he added after winning the Europa Conference League against Fiorentina.
Arsenal transfer news: The latest updates to know about
Granit Xhaka is set to join Bayer Leverkusen for around €15 million, while Folarin Balogun is expected to leave for regular first-team opportunities as well. On the other hand, Kieran Tierney is also expected to end his stay at the Emirates Stadium to bring in more money. The future of Nicolas Pepe remains uncertain, as the forgotten winger remains on loan for the time being.
Reiss Nelson was linked with a move away but is now in favour of staying at the club after being offered an extension. Mikel Arteta’s side have also been linked with a move for Joao Cancelo, who is set to leave Manchester City this summer after his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen will not be made permanent.
The price tag might not be as high as €70 million, which was the case for Bayern, and it could make things a bit more feasible for them.
