A £105m deal that would transfer England midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham to Arsenal hangs in the balance as the clubs continue to negotiate the payment structure. The monumental fee is not the obstacle; both clubs have reportedly agreed on the sum, but the specifics of the payment breakdown remain unresolved. This agreement marks an important step forward as it surpasses Arsenal's previous transfer record of £72m paid to Lille for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
The specifics of the current deal involve a £100m upfront payment, supplemented by an additional £5m based on performance-related metrics. This arrangement comes after Arsenal had two record-breaking bids of £90m and £80m, with additional add-ons, turned down by West Ham.
Football insider David Ornstein from The Athletic reaffirms the determination from Arsenal's side, stating, "I don't think Arsenal will let this one go now... I suspect they will do what they need to do and this deal should get wrapped up in due course."
Rice, who has been with West Ham throughout his professional career, has been permitted to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical examination with Arsenal. This move serves as a key component in Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's strategy to strengthen the team's midfield, a position dominated last season by Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Martin Odegaard.
West Ham's chairman, David Sullivan, has confirmed Rice's departure due to a gentleman's agreement, despite the player having a year left on his contract with an option to extend for an additional year. Rice has been instrumental for West Ham since joining its academy as a teenager and became the team's captain following Mark Noble's retirement.
While the finalization of Rice's transfer remains pending, Arsenal is reportedly finalizing a separate deal with Ajax for defender Jurrien Timber. Furthermore, the Gunners face a tough competition from Liverpool and Chelsea for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, indicating Arsenal's active pursuit of new talents.
