Peter Lynch

Fri 30 June 2023 8:40, UK

A delay has emerged in the £105million transfer of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, according to The Sun.

The publication noted that the Hammers are waiting for the Gunners to compromise on their payment plan for the England international.

The Sun noted that West Ham chiefs want all of the up-front £100million sum by 2025, but that Arsenal would prefer to pay it over five years.

“West Ham are still waiting for Arsenal to compromise on their £105million payment plan for Declan Rice,” according to The Sun. “The Gunners agreed a deal in principle on Wednesday to sign Rice, 24, for a record fee between two British clubs – £100m plus £5m add-ons.

“However, with personal terms also already settled, transfer talks remain ongoing over the structure of the up-front £100m sum.

“Hammers chiefs want it all by early 2025, whereas Arsenal would prefer to stagger it across a five-year period.”

Minor details

Arsenal fans won’t be worrying too much at all about this delay, with such minor details common in transfers, particularly when it comes to such a large fee.

The Gunners will, however, still want to wrap up the deal and announce their new man as soon as possible, with the new season rapidly approaching.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will want plenty of time to see his new signing in action in and around the training ground.

But West Ham have been standing firm when it comes to their star asset in recent weeks, and they will be keen to see this deal out exactly how they want to from start to finish.

They hold all the cards, and won’t see any issue at all in delaying the transfer of their beloved midfielder.

One added bonus is that they get to keep the England international around for that little bit longer, but everyone at the club is now fully prepared to say goodbye to Rice after his many years of top-quality service.

In other West Ham news, one exit-bound Hammers attacker has headed to Sunderland ahead of a potential transfer to the Black Cats.