Arsenal's move for Declan Rice is progressing as a huge club-record transfer is currently being discussed with fellow London club West Ham. The saga has had plenty of twists and turns, but at this stage it appears to be moving completely in the direction of a switch to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners submitted two opening bids - worth £80million and £90million respectively - however both deals were rejected by the Hammers. While the race was still open, Manchester City joined the race, making their move with an offer that was also turned away by the Irons.
The overall package was moving closer to the £100million mark, but it would take one of the two sides to move first to be able to reach that. It was Arsenal that took that leap, making a club-record bid earlier this week, worth £100million in guaranteed fees with £5million in add-ons.
A deal was then agreed in principal between the two sides, resulting in Manchester City dropping out of the race, but some finer details left to decide upon. With personal terms seemingly no problem and a medical that could be prepared in the near future, a deal appears close.
In the mean time, Rice is staying busy during his time off, having only recently finished for the season after a long European campaign with West Ham and then international duty with England. The midfielder has been active on social media too, with the latest being a message to compatriot Jude Bellingham.
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Taking to Instagram, he posted: "Happy birthday, bro," with an image of himself with Bellingham as his teammate turned 20 years old. With the youngster completing a huge move to Real Madrid this summer, could Rice be the next to follow in the transfer window...?
