Arsenal reach full agreement with West Ham United over record move for Declan Rice

Premier League runner-up Arsenal has finally reached a full agreement over key summer target Declan Rice after beating out Manchester City to the West Ham United captain and England star, with the 24-year-old expected to complete his move to the Emirates in the coming days. According to The Mail’s Sami Mokbel, the clubs have finally hashed out the final details surrounding a record £105m bid for Rice in a deal that not only will make him the most expensive British footballer in history but saw the Gunners flex their own market muscle to get one over on burgeoning domestic rivals Manchester City. The Premier League champions had officially entered the race for Rice with an official bid of £90m, matching Arsenal’s second offer for the England midfielder, before the Gunners returned with their nine-figure offer which ultimately saw City immediately pull out of contention. Rice has long been earmarked as the number one summer transfer target for Mikel Arteta and club technical director Edu Gaspar as the Gunners look to take the next step in the budding project under their young Spanish manager after coming so close to ending their nineteen-year run of missing out on Premier League honors. It is widely anticipated that Rice will slot into the holding midfield role at the Emirates behind an expected duo of club captain Martin Ødegaard and fellow summer signing Kai Havertz, in a new-look tactical schematic that will go through another evolution cycle in what has been a hallmark trait of the club under Arteta since he took the reins from Unai Emery. With a pending move also lined up for Ajax and Dutch defender Jurriën Timber for a reported fee of £40m, Arsenal are already on course to best their highest-ever transfer outlay across one summer, and with other moves anticipated in midfield, it could see their spending go even higher before the 2023-24 season begins in earnest. Read below for more newsBurnley makes a first advance for Belgian youth international right-backUEFA moves swiftly to end Financial Fair Play loopholeFresh Manchester United striker update emerges