Arsenal are closing in on securing their first signing of the summer transfer window after submitting a £105 million bid including add-ons for West Ham captain Declan Rice. The Hammers have already rejected two bids from the Gunners, along with a £90m bid from Premier League champions Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side have now pulled out of the race to sign Rice with Arsenal expected to complete a move for the 24-year-old this week. Rice had been identified as the north London outfit’s priority target going into the window and Mikel Arteta will be desperate to land his man.
But Arteta refused to speak about a potential move when quizzed in a recent interview with Spanish outlet Marca. “I can't talk about players who are not in the club. I prefer not to say anything", was his coy response.
West Ham and Arsenal now planning to enter more negotiations today as they look to reach an agreement over the structure of the move with the length of the payment of the fixed £100m fee the remaining issue, football.london understands. The England international rose through the ranks to become a crucial player for West Ham and despite his importance to the team - he did not change his shirt number and has now made the No.41 an iconic jersey at the club.
If he wishes to keep the same number at Arsenal it will likely be given to him with Under-23s talent Maruo Bandeira currently holding the No.41 at the club. Last year, in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, Rice said: "It was just the number I was given in the academy by the kitman.
"When you are in the Under-23s there are the first team squad numbers and then it gets to the higher numbers and I was given 41 when I went to Seattle on my first trip with the first-team. I was just given 41 and it has stayed with me since.
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"And to be honest with you - I have been having these conversations with my dad - regardless of what happens in my career I may stay with 41. I just think Rice 41 has a nice ring to it and obviously I have grown up playing in it and I am a bit superstitious with things like that.
"I don't know if I change to a new number if it will hamper my performances, I don't know! Sometimes I think about things like that."
Rice has not worn any other shirt number during his senior career at club level and he could continue to wear his iconic No.41 at Arsenal next season if Bandeira gives up his jersey and takes a new number.
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