Declan Rice's move from West Ham United to Arsenal now appears to be a matter of "when" not "if" with the two sides having finally reached an agreement on the technicalities of the England international's £105m move across the capital.
The 24-year-old, who captained the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory in Prague last month, will now, according to The Athletic, undergo a medical at the Gunners' London Colney training base on Friday after a three-part instalment was agreed for the record fee.
Manchester City had previously matched Arsenal's opening offer of £90m last month. However, both offers were swiftly rejected by the London Stadium outfit, who have stood firm in their valuation of the England international throughout the saga.
Rice's arrival at the Emirates is likely to signal the end of Granit Xhaka's Arsenal career as the 30-year-old Swiss international edges closer to a move to Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen. The midfield enforcer has been a controversial figure in North London since his switch from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016. However, he enjoyed the finest campaign of his Gunners career last term as Mikel Arteta's side narrowly missed out on a first Premier League title in 19 years.
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According to football. london, Arsenal will receive a fee in the region of £21.5m for the midfielder who has made over 250 appearances since signing under Arsene Wenger seven years ago.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, on Tuesday evening Mason Mount finally ended the relentless speculation surrounding his future at Chelsea and confirmed that he will be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer. The 24-year-old, who joined the Londoners at the age of six, is expected to put pen to paper on a deal at Manchester United on Wednesday.
Last night Mount confirmed to fans: "It may not come as a surprise but that doesn’t make it any easier to tell you I have made the decision to leave Chelsea. I feel you deserve more than just a written statement. I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I have been for all of your support over the past 18 years. I know some of you won't be happy with my decision, but it is what is right for me at this moment in my career."
Mount's announcement comes after both clubs spent weeks thrashing out a deal for the England international, who has just 12 months remaining on his deal in West London, before coming to an agreement on an initial £55m fee.
Erik Ten Hag's side are not done there either, according to the Mail online, with a move for Brighton and Hove Albion's Robert Sanchez reportedly on the radar as the Red Devils target a replacement for David de Gea.
The Spaniard's contract at Old Trafford officially expired on June 30, with both parties unable to reach an agreement on an extension at the end of a troubling season for the veteran shot-stopper. However, according to The Athletic, De Gea and club officials are set to continue talks this week in the hope of thrashing out an agreement.
If no solution can be found, the 25-year-old, who has fallen behind Jason Steele in the pecking order at the Amex, could be targeted as an alternative for roughly £30m. According to the report, such interest is birthed from Inter Milan's refusal to lower their asking price for Andre Onana, who Ten Hag worked with during his time at Ajax.
So far this window, Liverpool have made two significant early moves - spending a combined £95m on Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai. It remains to be seen whether interest in Romeo Lavia is progressed further, and the club have also been exploring their options over a potential centre-back signing.
