Arsenal confident of sealing club record transfer for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Declan Rice in what will be a club record deal for the Gunners, LondonWorld understands.

The transfer fee, which is expected to surpass £100million when bonuses are included, means Rice will become the club’s record signing following Nicolas Pepe’s £72.5million move in 2019.

Rice is Arsenal’s priority target this summer, with Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo and Man City’s Ilkay Gundogan also being looked at.

Formal negotiations between the club began after West Ham’s UEFA Conference League final victory, with Hammers owner David Sullivan revealing that he ‘promised’ Rice he could leave the club this summer.

Talks are still ongoing but there is confidence among all parties that a deal will be thrashed out soon, with Rice keen on making the switch to north London.

Several players are expected to leave Emirates Stadium this summer including Granit Xhaka, Pepe and Cedric Soares.

Meanwhile, William Saliba and Reiss Nelson have agreed to sign new contracts with Mikel Arteta’s side.

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich had all expressed interest in Saliba over the past few months. However, the centre back has chosen to remain in London, as he is happy at Emirates Stadium and his main priority was to extend his stay in north London.

This news comes after Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhaes all signed new long-term deals in the past year.

Sporting director Edu Gaspar, alongside Director of Football Operations Richard Garlick, is ensuring that Arsenal’s most valuable talents are tied to the club for several years.