Declan Rice to get preferred Arsenal transfer as West Ham United close to agreement
Declan Rice will get his desired transfer to Arsenal with West Ham United close to striking an agreement with Mikel Arteta’s side, according to Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg.
The Gunners lodged a £100million bid plus £5million of bonuses on Tuesday evening, but West Ham initially held reservations over the structure of the deal.
Manchester City have subsequently withdrawn from the race to sign the England international, and Steinberg has reported that the 24-year-old is now closing in on a move to the Emirates Stadium.
“Agreement between West Ham and Arsenal close now and could be done today,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Rice has wanted Arsenal all along and is going to get his move.”
Final stages
The race for Rice’s signature was always going to be a complicated process, but it finally seems like Arsenal are going to get their man.
The initial bids from both the Gunners and Manchester City very much looked like offers to test the waters, and after West Ham rebuffed them immediately, it was always going to be interesting to see if either would break the £100million barrier.
With talks now looking like they have entered the final furlong, David Moyes can now start looking to get replacements through the door before the start of pre-season.
West Ham United will need at least one replacement in the middle of the park, with Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes the only viable options in the first-team squad right now.
Hopefully, this transfer saga can be brought to a speedy conclusion, and the Hammers can press on with their summer transfer business.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are already preparing to cash in on the Declan Rice money as they hold a transfer meeting in London as they’re confident of sealing a £50million signing.