The Daily Mail report that Declan Rice will ask West Ham to accept Arsenal’s most recent bid for him, with the Hammers currently stalling on the £105m offer as they push for a more favourable deal structure.
As it stands, negotiations are ongoing, but sources indicate there’s growing confidence Arsenal can reach an agreement to complete the signing by the end of the day.
First reported by David Ornstein on Tuesday night, Arsenal’s bid for Rice is worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons.
After that, Manchester City pulled out of the race on Wednesday morning, with reports suggesting there was no possibility of Pep Guardiola’s side reentering the race at that price.
The remaining obstacle is that Arsenal want to pay the guaranteed fee over a four or five-year period, whilst West Ham want it paid within 18 months, according to Fabrizio Romano. They’ll now try to figure out a compromise.
Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian reports that an agreement between the two clubs is now close and could be done today.
Steinberg claims Rice has wanted Arsenal all along, and he’s going to get his move in the end.
Jordan Davies reports that advanced negotiations regarding payment plans are close to being sorted, according to senior West Ham sources.
Rice is currently on holiday, after finally concluding a long season with a couple of games on international duty over the last fortnight.
The 24-year-old made 50 appearances for West Ham and 11 appearances for England over the last 12 months.
After a well-earned break, it looks like the 24-year-old will be linking up with new teammates in pre-season.