Declan Rice has now been given permission to undergo a medical with Arsenal, with the tests planned for this week ahead of the official signing announcement.
On Tuesday night, sources finally confirmed that Arsenal and West Ham United had reached a full agreement for the transfer of Declan Rice.
The two clubs had already agreed a fee for Rice’s move around a week earlier, but talks had continued over the payment structure of the deal. That structure was agreed on Tuesday, putting the transfer in the final stages.
All that now remains is for Rice to undergo a medical and sign off on personal terms, before the official announcement by Arsenal.
David Ornstein broke the news of the full agreement between Arsenal and West Ham, and he reports for The Athletic that Rice has been given permission to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms.
Fabrizio Romano, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, and Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail all report that Rice is set to have his medical this week, with Steinberg reporting that the move will also be completed this week.
Rice has been on holiday in recent weeks, as have the Arsenal players who spent time away with their countries on international duty.
Reports suggest those Arsenal internationals are due to arrive back in training on Saturday, before travelling to Germany to begin the pre-season tour on Sunday.
If the Rice deal is done in time, he could hypothetically link up with the squad for that leg of the tour.
But Rice isn’t quite in the same position as Arsenal’s other internationals, who had a couple of weeks off between the end of the Premier League season and the start of the internationals.
West Ham were playing the Europa Conference League final during that break, so Rice might get a little more time off.
Either way, don’t expect to see Rice starting for Arsenal against Nurnberg next Thursday.
The Arsenal internationals joining up with the squad this weekend are reportedly not expected to play a significant role in that fixture, so soon after starting training.
The subsequent tour of the U.S. is the more likely unofficial debut date for Rice, Kai Havertz, and possibly Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal’s Pre-Season Fixtures
- Thursday, July 13th, 18:00 – FC Nurnberg vs Arsenal
- Thursday, July 20th, 01:30 – MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal
- Saturday, July 22nd, 22:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Wednesday, July 26th, 03:30 (TBC) – Arsenal vs Barcelona
- Wednesday, August 2nd, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Sunday, August 6th, 16:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City
Times in BST