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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Declan Rice responds to £105m Arsenal price tag with scrutiny set to increase

Declan Rice insists he is not thinking about his price tag ahead of his first season as an Arsenal player.

The Gunners paid a club-record £105m for the England international earlier this month in a landmark deal.

Rice has signed a five-year contract in north London and arrives as part of an ambitious recruitment drive alongside Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

The 24-year-old overtakes Jack Grealish as the most expensive English player in the Premier League and trails only Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid on that front, pending add-ons.

Already a hotly discussed player, Rice has vowed to give his “best years” to Arsenal as they look to improve on last season’s title challenge.

Such is the magnitude of his transfer fee, the scrutiny is only likely to increase as expectations grow on both the midfielder and the club as a whole.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rice said: “I can’t control what I’ve been bought for. That’s obviously determined on how well I’ve played consistently over the last couple of years and what West Ham obviously set the price at.

"I’ve not really thought about the price tag once. I’ve been brought to Arsenal for a reason: that’s to perform, to play football, to try and add to the squad, to try and win trophies. I’m not going to get involved in price tags.”

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