Arsenal are on the brink of completing a £105million deal for No.1 transfer target Declan Rice.
The Gunners and West Ham are close to reaching agreement with now only the final details of the payment structure to be resolved.
Arsenal offered £105m on Tuesday night and then Manchester City cleared the way for Mikel Arteta’s men to have a free run on signing Rice after insisting they would not improve their £90m offer.
But Arsenal’s payment structure - with £75m up front, £25m spread over the five years of the contract plus £5m in add-ons - did not meet with West Ham’s demands even though the final figure met their asking price.
The two clubs are now in final discussions about trying to find a resolution but West Ham know that Rice wants to move to the Emirates and they are edging closer to agreement. Arsenal may be willing to pay the £25m in shorter instalments to get it done and they hope to be able to reach an agreement in the next 24 hours and complete the deal as soon as possible.
Arsenal had previously made two bids of £80m and then £90m before raising their offer to £105m which West Ham did not reject but wanted to restructure before formally accepting.
It will be a massive boost for Arsenal to have beaten off City in the race for Rice and also a massive lift for Arteta to know that the England midfielder wanted to move to the Emirates even ahead of the Premier League champions.
Arsenal are also set to announce the £65m signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea while they are also closing in on Ajax’s versatile defender Jurrien Timber.
The Gunners have tabled a £40m offer for Timber who wants to join Arteta’s side and they look set to complete a deal for the right-sided Holland international.
The Gunners will take their spending to over £200m but with sales - Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey could leave along with Folarin Balogun - they could still carry on buying reinforcements with Southampton ’s Romeo Lavia and a left-sided centre half still on their list.
Speaking recently to the Spanish press Arteta insisted his side would attack the transfer market. Arsenal have been extremely active in recent summer windows, but want to build from a position of strength having finished in second last season.
Arteta told Marca: "We already made a refresh of the squad. We’re now together with owners to build a winning team that could be sustainable for long term. We need important players and we’ll attack the market to sign those who we need."
Asked about the Rice transfer specifically, he added: "I can't talk about players who are not in the club. I prefer not to say anything."
He was significantly more forthcoming on Havertz though, who has already completed his medical and whose deal is only awaiting official confirmation.
The Arsenal boss added: He said: "Talent comes at a price, and at Arsenal we are always interested in youngsters with experience.
"I repeat, I'm not talking about players from other clubs, but in the case of Kai he has already shown a lot, including [winning] a Champions League. He is a talented player, versatile and only 24 years old."
