Declan Rice is expected to have his medical and complete a move to Arsenal this week after a compromise was reached with West Ham over the payment structure of his £105million move, according to Jacob Steinberg.
Steinberg wrote in the Guardian that the Hammers were looking for the £100m guaranteed figure to be paid by the end of 2024 to help with the club’s financial position after the Hammers were placed on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play watchlist last September.
It means Arsenal are now closing in on completing the bumper deal for the England midfielder, ending a long-running saga that saw Manchester City pull out of the race for Rice’s signature.
The fee for Rice is expected to be paid in three instalments over 24 months.
The end is finally in sight
It has to be said that it feels a touch ambitious for West Ham to have expected the guaranteed money for Rice to have been paid by 2024.
You can understand the club’s standpoint. They have to keep investing in the squad as they will play in the Europa League next season as a result of their Europa Conference League triumph last term, and doing so under the microscope of UEFA is not easy.
But a seemingly sensible compromise has been reached that should suit both parties. West Ham are getting a sizeable fee for their captain, while Arsenal are bringing in an England international who fits the sort of profile they are trying to bring in to continue challenging for the Premier League title.
