OFFICIAL: Arsenal announce record signing of West Ham legend Rice
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Arsenal officially confirm Declan Rice signing

OFFICIAL: Arsenal announce record signing of West Ham legend Rice

Ayoola Kelechi 13:07 - 15.07.2023

Arsenal are ready to start cooking after securing Declan Rice in a £105m deal from West Ham

Arsenal have finally announced the signing of West Ham favourite Declan Rice, more than a week after reports emerged that the deal for the England midfielder had been agreed.

Gunners announce Rice capture

Rice joins the Gunners on a lengthy contract after turning down approaches from Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

The England international becomes Arsenal’s most expensive signing, joining from West Ham in a deal reported to be worth £100 million upfront plus £5 million in add-ons, eclipsing the £72 million that the Gunners paid to Nice for Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe.

Rice’s transfer becomes the second most expensive deal in English football history, narrowly missing out on the title to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez transfer, which cost a total of £106.5 million.

Rice set to join Arsenal squad to the USA

The former West Ham midfielder also becomes the second-most expensive British player in the world, ahead of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, who joined the treble winners from Aston Villa in 2021, but still behind Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid this summer in a £115 million deal from Borussia Dortmund.

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Despite delays in finalising the transfer thanks to final checks by Arsenal lawyers, Rice is expected to join the Gunners before they head out to the USA to continue their pre-season preparations with friendly matches lined up against Manchester United and Barcelona.

While waiting for the deal to pull through, Rice has been pictured training alongside other international superstars, including Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao in a bid to stay fit.

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