Talks over the payment structure of Declan Rice’s £105m Arsenal switch are close to being finalised… with West Ham keen to receive a guaranteed £100m by the end of next year
Talks over the payment structure for Declan Rice’s £105million move to Arsenal are almost finalised.
West Ham skipper Rice is set to make the cross-town switch after a prolonged race for his signature that saw rivals Manchester City enter the fray, only to pull out at the final round of bidding.
Arsenal had a number of bids rejected before their latest £105m offer met the Hammers’ approval, although discussions are still ongoing over how that fee will be paid.
The proposed deal will see the Gunners fork out £100m for the player, followed by another £5m in bonuses in order to prise the Hammers skipper from the London Stadium, with the fee spread across multiple seasons.
According to Mail Sport, the fee was initially proposed to be paid across four years.
Discussions over the structure of Declan Rice’s £105million move to Arsenal are close to being finalised
Mikel Arteta’s side are now set to secure the services of the Spaniard’s No 1 transfer target
However, West Ham want the guaranteed part of the fee to be paid by the end of next year.
As Mail Sport’s Sami Mokbel reported, a fee was agreed in principle on Wednesday afternoon, from which point the deal was formally believed to be ‘done’.
Personal terms with the player are not thought to be an issue, and indeed are considered to be a formality.
The 24-year-old is set to pen terms on a long-term deal at the Emirates worth around £250,000-a-week.
During the bidding process, Rice informed his club that he wanted them to accept Arsenal’s final £105m bid after a prolonged transfer saga that has been one of the stories of the summer.
Since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2017, 24-year-old Rice has racked up 245 appearances, scoring 15 goals, quickly becoming a talisman in east London.
Arsenal have already completed the signing of Kai Havertz on a £65m deal from Chelsea, and it has been revealed that the German is set to play as a No 8 alongside Rice as a No 6 and captain Martin Odegaard in the No 10 role.
Current midfielders Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have both been linked with moves away from the club.
Rice is expected to play alongside £65m signing Kai Havertz (left) and Martin Odegaard (right)
