Arsenal 'hoping to finalise Declan Rice deal by Monday'

Arsenal are reportedly hoping to finalise a deal to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice by Monday.

Following a pair of failed bids, the Gunners are believed to have struck an agreement with the Hammers over a £105m fee, which would see Rice become their most expensive signing of all time.

Arsenal are reportedly prepared to pay £100m plus £5m in performance-related add-ons, which would also make Rice the most expensive British player in history, surpassing the £100m that Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.

However, Arsenal and West Ham are still locked in negotiations over a payment structure, as the Hammers are apparently demanding for the full £100m to be paid within the next 18 months.

In contrast, Arsenal want to stagger the payments over a number of years, leading to a standstill in talks, but there is confidence that a deal will eventually be completed.

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According to The Sun, Arsenal and West Ham are optimistic of wrapping up those negotiations at the start of next week, and there has never been any real risk of a transfer collapsing.

Rice is already believed to have agreed personal terms with the North London giants, who will pencil in a medical for the midfielder as soon as the two clubs finalise payment terms.

Mikel Arteta has been pushing to bring the England international to the Emirates Stadium, and the Spaniard supposedly wants to integrate Rice into the first team before their pre-season tour of the United States later this month.

The Gunners briefly faced competition from Manchester City for the signing of Rice, who was thought to have been the subject of a £90m offer from the Premier League champions.

However, City dropped their interest after their opening bid was rejected, giving Arsenal a clear run at Arteta's top target, who has also been linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

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Rice - whose name has been removed from the kits section of the West Ham United website - is poised to depart the Hammers after registering 15 goals and 13 assists from 245 games in a 10-year spell, having joined their academy from Chelsea in 2013.

The 24-year-old led David Moyes's side to the Europa Conference League title last season, banking five goals and four assists from 50 games in all tournaments as West Ham also secured Premier League survival.

Rice is set to become Arsenal's second signing of the summer window after fellow midfielder Kai Havertz, whose £65m signing from Chelsea was confirmed on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners are also understood to be on the cusp of agreeing a deal for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, while Southampton's Romeo Lavia is also admired by Arsenal chiefs.

The arrival of Rice could trigger the exits of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga, the former of whom is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £13m switch.