Arsenal close to signing Declan Rice after Man City exit race

Arsenal is rearing to sign its top transfer target in the coming days in Declan Rice. The Gunners have submitted three separate bids to West Ham for the Hammers’ captain. While all these offers have technically been rejected by the Hammers, it is expected that the two sides can iron out small details of the payment structure.

According to Mail Sport, Manchester City have pulled out of the race to sign Rice. This would open the door for Arsenal to acquire the player. The Premier League champions also previously saw a bid for the midfielder declined by West Ham as well. This offer was in the region of $113 million. However, Arsenal then came back Tuesday night and entered a third bid totaling over $130 million. Hammers brass waited for City to outbid the Gunners, but the proposal never came.

Clubs negotiating payment structure

While West Ham has rejected Arsenal’s final offer, the price tag is not necessarily the problem. Soccer transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal wants to pay the $132 million over four years. The Hammers, on the other hand, expect payments to be completed within 18 months. Nevertheless, a compromise is expected and a deal should be agreed within a day or two.

Rice is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The 24-year-old has already racked up 43 caps for England and was named captain of West Ham in 2022. Rice has also been named his club’s Player of the Year in three of the last four seasons.

Declan Rice always preferred Arsenal

Although other clubs wanted to sign him, Rice seemingly only sought to sign with Arsenal. The Gunners, under manager Mikel Arteta, are on the rise after finishing second in the Premier League last season. Despite being the youngest team in the league, Arteta has the squad playing attractive soccer. The Spanish manager was a key reason why Rice wanted to join the Gunners.

Rice could very well be Arsenal’s second signing of the summer. The north London club has also acquired Kai Havertz from rivals Chelsea. Although this deal has not yet been officially announced just yet, there has already been a welcome interview leaked on Twitter. Havertz and Rice now look set to feature in the same midfield alongside Gunners captain Martin Odegaard next season.

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