Declan Rice, who is Arsenal’s top target, is close to joining the club after the two sides reached an agreement in principle on a £105 million deal.
Officials from both clubs were engaged in advanced negotiations on Wednesday after submitting their third offer, which included £100 million in guaranteed cash and an additional £5 million in bonuses. The goal of the meetings was to work out the final elements of the deal’s framework.
According to Mail Sport, Arsenal’s proposal called for the guaranteed portion of the sum to be paid over the course of four years.
By the start of 2025, West Ham would prefer to receive the money in two installments.
The two clubs are now focusing on reaching an agreement rather than wrangling over the price, and the problem has been characterized as trivial and not a point that will cause the deal to fall through.
Following Arsenal’s massive proposal for Rice, Manchester City decided to withdraw from the battle, which considerably improved the Gunners’ position.
West Ham turned down City’s £90 million offer on Tuesday, and the Treble champions decided on Wednesday not to match Arsenal’s offer.
On Wednesday morning, West Ham learned that Rice wanted them to accept Arsenal’s £105 million offer, which was another major development.
Rice will sign a long-term contract paying at least £250,000 per week, so formalising personal terms won’t be a problem.
Rice has always preferred Arsenal over City, despite City’s late interest in signing him.
His dream to play for the Gunners, whose head coach Mikel Arteta sees him as a potential captain, will finally come true.
Rice, 24, has become a homegrown hero for the east London club since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2017, making it challenging for them to part with him.
He appeared in 245 games overall and scored 15 goals.
Rice, who represented the Republic of Ireland three times in 2018 before transferring to England, has established himself as a key player for Gareth Southgate’s team during that period, earning 43 caps.
Last season, the Hammers’ victory in the Europa Conference League brought an end to what had been a trying season for the team as they threatened relegation and Moyes under intense criticism.
Moyes will now be charged with utilising the proceeds from Rice’s sale to bolster the roster for the upcoming campaign.
