Declan Rice is set to have his medical with Arsenal on Friday, after West Ham United reached a full agreement for his transfer.
Speaking to talkSPORT radio on Wednesday, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg gave some insight into Declan Rice’s imminent move to Arsenal.
Steinberg explained that Arsenal have been pushing for the transfer since Christmas of 2022, and West Ham were always going to sell if their demands were met.
The Hammers only wanted to let Rice go for £100m, and they needed the money in a minimal number of instalments to help them to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
But West Ham weren’t keen to keep Rice against his will, forcing him to see out the final year of his contract and the additional year they had as an extension option.
As a result, West Ham and Arsenal were eventually able to come to a compromise over a £100m guaranteed fee paid in three instalments over 24 months, with another £5m in potential add-ons.
Steinberg reports that Rice will now hold his Arsenal medical on Friday, as he looks to complete the transfer.
CBS Sports’ James Benge has also since confirmed that the medical has been booked for Friday.
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 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.
Rice is even less likely to play, given he got a shorter break as a result of his participation in the Europa Conference League final.
The subsequent tour of the U.S. is Rice’s more likely unofficial debut date.
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
- Thursday, July 27th, 03:30 – Arsenal vs Barcelona
- Wednesday, August 2nd, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Sunday, August 6th, 16:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City
Times in BST