Declan Rice has been given permission to complete a medical with Arsenal ahead of a huge transfer from West Ham this summer. That's according to TalkSPORT, which claims that the midfielder has been given the green light from the Hammers to undergo tests to get a deal done swiftly.
It comes after a saga that has spanned months and many bids, but one that appears to have seen the Gunners come out on top, barring any late drama. Rice was believed to have made a move to the Emirates his priority this summer, while football.london understood that Arsenal viewed the midfielder as a top priority.
The north London outfit were keen to avoid a bidding war, placing an early first bid worth £80million following West Ham's European success. That was rejected before another offer worth a total of £90million was also turned down, with Manchester City starting to lurk in the background.
Pep Guardiola's side, off the back of a famous treble but the loss of a key player in Ilkay Gundogan, firmed up their interest by making a formal bid. That offer was also turned down, however the price was edging towards the £100million mark widely claimed to be the valuation, meaning one team had to blink first.
It would be Arsenal who would make their move as they agreed a £105 million deal in principle to sign West Ham United captain Rice, as per multiple reports. The Gunners submitted a club record transfer offer for the England international on Tuesday night, football.london understands, though there are still talks held over the final details.
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Manchester City, along with a host of other suitors appear to have backed out of the race too, leaving just the formalities to be resolved. While installments will be an important part to complete, on the player's side there's still the medical and the actual signing to finish.
The green light for the medical to take place should make the process even quicker and see the Gunners land target number two in the window.
