Arsenal has reached an agreement with Premier League rivals West Ham United over the transfer of star midfielder Declan Rice, sources reported late on Wednesday. This comes after Manchester City pulled out of the race to sign the 24-year-old playmaker.
West Ham reportedly accepted Arsenal’s third bid for the player worth £100 million ($127 million) plus £5 million ($6.3 million) in add-ons. Although some minor aspects of the deal are yet to be confirmed, these terms are believed to be just a formality.
Man City expressed an interest in Rice given the team’s need to replace outbound central midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who departed for FC Barcelona following the expiration of his contract with City.
Once Man City’s bid of £80 million plus £10 million in add-ons was rejected, they decided to bow out of the race to sign Rice in favor of pursuing other options. The club recently signed Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for a deal worth £25 million plus another £5 million in add-ons.
Rice is the latest transfer in what is proving to be a busy summer window for the Gunners. On Wednesday, Arsenal confirmed the signing of striker Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £67.5 million.
