June 28, (THEWILL) – Arsenal and West Ham have reached an agreement on a significant transfer deal, with a fee of £105 million being agreed upon for the signing of Declan Rice.
The two clubs are currently engaged in negotiations to finalise the payment terms for the transfer. This development comes after Manchester City withdrew from the race to acquire Rice’s services, subsequent to Arsenal’s improved bid which matched City’s initial offer of £90 million. Both clubs’ bids were rejected, but Arsenal made a comeback with an enhanced proposal of £100 million upfront and an additional £5 million in add-ons.
The completion of this deal would establish a new English Premier League record fee for a British player. Rice, whose contract with West Ham runs until 2024 with an option for a one-year extension, is believed to be Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta’s primary target for the summer.
As THEWILL previously reported, West Ham chairman, David Sullivan, had expressed his expectation that Rice had played his final game for the club, stating that the England international “wanted to go.” Rice, who made his debut for West Ham in 2017, has accumulated 245 appearances for the club.
The recent triumph of West Ham in the Europa Conference League has seemingly not altered Rice’s desire to move on, and the prospect of joining Arsenal appears increasingly likely now than ever. The player’s decision to stay in London was reportedly crucial to Arsenal’s determination to make the deal happen.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
