West Ham all but confirm Declan Rice’s imminent £105m move to Arsenal as they stop selling the captain’s No 41 shirt on their club store
West Ham have stopped selling Declan Rice shirts on their website, indicating that Arsenal are getting close to clinching their £105million man.
The midfielder’s No 41 shirt is nowhere to be seen in the Hammers‘ online store.
Arsenal agreed a deal in principle with his current club a few days ago and the £105m sum would smash the £72m they paid for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
Now, the two clubs are ironing out the details of the transfer’s payment structure.
This latest development all but confirms the departure of the much-loved Rice from the London Stadium.
Declan Rice’s No 41 shirt is no longer available to buy from West Ham’s website (credit: officialwesthamstore.com)
The development all but confirms the 24-year-old’s imminent move to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal
He has been given permission to undertake his medical across the capital and negotiate personal terms with his soon-to-be new employer, who finished second in the Premier League last season.
The 24-year-old skippered the Hammers to their first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup and their first European trophy since the 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup this season.
A 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Prague gave them the Europa Conference League crown, which was also the first major trophy of manager David Moyes’ career in the dugout.
Rice made 245 appearances in the claret and sky blue colours, becoming a fan-favourite, progressing to to the England squad, and building a reputation as one of the best players in the Premier League.
At Arsenal, he would slot into a young and talented team seeing something of a revival under Mikel Arteta.
He becomes the second major signing of the summer for Arsenal after £65m man Kai Havertz arrived from Chelsea.
Other midfield options such as vice-captain Granit Xhaka and Thomas Parety are widely expected to leave the club.
