Breaking: Arsenal closing in on their first signing of the summer with €75m England star set to follow Bukayo Saka to Emirates
Arsenal are close to agreeing a club record deal for Declan Rice with West Ham United in a deal worth over £100million.
The Gunners have made the England international their top target for the summer transfer window and are expected to beat Bayern Munich and Manchester United to his signature.
While the club are yet to officially submit a bid, talks with the Hammers are progressing smoothly, according to The Guardian and there is a growing confidence the deal will be completed soon.
Arsenal are set to offer £90m with West Ham requesting add-ons that will take the fee over the £100million mark.
Agreeing personal terms is not expected to be an issue with Rice eager to link up with Mikel Arteta’s side, with the Arsenal boss viewing him as the player who can play a key role in mounting another Premier League title challenge next season.
Rice lifted the Europa Conference trophy following West Ham’s victory over Fiorentina in Prague last Wednesday in what is expected to be his last game for the club.
‘We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going,’ West Ham chairman said the day after that victory. You can’t ask for a man who has committed more to us this season.
‘In due course, he has to get on and we have to get a replacement – or several replacements.
‘It’s not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000-a-week 18 months ago. He turned it down.
‘It’s cost him £10million to stay at West Ham in that time [in lost wages]. And he wants to go.
‘You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to be there.
‘There are three or four clubs who have shown interest, but out of respect to West Ham, while we’re still playing, you don’t make offers for players. That’s not the way decent clubs do things.’
