Arsenal transfer news as West Ham United timeline for Declan Rice exit emerges
Sources close to Declan Rice’s move from West Ham to Arsenal are expecting the deal to be done before the start of next week, according to a report in The Sun.
This update comes following the news [David Ornstein, 28 June] that a deal was agreed between West Ham and Arsenal which would see Declan Rice move to North London for a fee of £100million with an extra £5million in potential add-ons, with the only sticking point being the structure of payments.
This disagreement was not seen as derailing to the transfer, but West Ham were holding firm in their request to get the deal that works best for them, with a full agreement now expected to be reached within the next 48 hours on Monday.
Both clubs can finally move on
The news that Rice would leave West Ham this summer has been accepted as inevitable, since owner David Sullivan appeared on TalkSport [8 June] and admitted the club and player had agreed to facilitate his exit should a sufficient bid be received.
Still, though, all the creases finally being ironed out will come as a relief to both clubs, with attention now able to be turned elsewhere in the transfer window, as both clubs target new signings.
Talks and negotiations will have been ongoing in the background of this deal, but the primary attention from both clubs was focused on seeing this deal over the line, with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta “desperate” to get it done as quickly as possible.
Rice’s departure will now allow the Hammers to expand their reach in the market to players such as Edson Alvarez, whose price tag now looks affordable in light of the fee they are about to receive for Rice.
In other West Ham news, the club have been heavily linked to a right-back who “will leave” his current club.