Declan Rice has completed his long-awaited club record transfer to Arsenal and the former West Ham captain has explained he has long been interested in the move
Declan Rice has suggested he had been considering a move to Arsenal for years after the Gunners smashed their club-record transfer fee to land the midfielder.
The England international becomes the Gunners’ third signing of the window after Kai Havertz arrived from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber joined from Ajax. A £105million fee has been agreed between the two clubs, with Rice penning a long-term contract in north London.
Rice will bank a reported £240,000 per-week at the Emirates Stadium and he will also play in the Champions League for the first time in his career after the Gunners finished second in the Premier League last season.
The move to north London ends the 24-year-old’s long association with West Ham, whom he joined after his release from Chelsea’s academy as a youngster. He had spent the entirety of his senior career at the Hammers, becoming their club captain and helping them to win last season’s Europa Conference League.