West Ham United exit to be quick for Declan Rice as Arsenal get ready to agree wages
West Ham United captain Declan Rice is expecting to be an Arsenal player by 30 June, with the Gunners expected to formally agree wages of around £200,000-a-week, according to the Daily Mail.
Rice is expected to leave the club this summer with Arsenal the frontrunner for his signature and the Gunners had a formal first bid rejected [Sky Sports, 15 June] but are expected to return with another in the coming days.
It is thought that Arsenal’s opening bid stood at around £80m plus add-ons, but West Ham have made it clear that Rice’s valuation remains at £120m, and according to the Daily Mail newspaper [20 June, page 69], the North London outfit are expected to return with a bid worth over £100m.
Rice’s wages are expected to be a formality for Arsenal, with the England international now jetting off on holiday expecting to join his new club before pre-season gets underway next month.
Drawing closer
It certainly seems as if Rice’s West Ham United departure is drawing ever closer with Arsenal desperate to complete one of the deals of the summer ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Hammers will not want to be lowballed into a sale for Rice, and considering the going rate for world-class midfielders in the current market, anything less than £100m for the England international should indeed be rejected out of hand.
With Rice expected to agree personal terms with the Gunners, the ball indeed remains in West Ham’s court regarding what kind of offer they want to accept, to ensure that they stand to benefit to fund their own major summer rebuild.
A gaping Rice hole is set to emerge in the coming weeks, and West Ham United and David Moyes must be swift and meticulous in their search to replace him.
It certainly won’t be an easy one given the going rate for top-quality defensive midfielders this summer, just look at £50m top target Joao Palhinha.