Rice to Arsenal: what's causing the delay?

Stuart Telford

• 11 Jul 2023 10:06 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have had a deal in place to sign Declan Rice from West Ham for at least a week, but they are yet to announce his transfer. What is the hold up?

England midfielder Rice will become Arsenal's record signing when he moves for an initial £100 million, with a further £5m to follow in add-ons, eclipsing the £72m they paid Lille for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.

Alongside Kai Havertz's £60m arrival from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber's from Ajax (for an initial €40m/£34m), the Gunners will spend in the region of £200m on new players this summer.

READ: Are Arsenal breaking FFP rules with Havertz, Rice and Timber?

Whilst Havertz's move has been announced, Rice's remains pending, with an official announcement yet to be made. But Arsenal fans shouldn't be too worried.

'Final wording' of contract needed

"The Hammers are waiting for Arsenal's lawyers to approve the final wording of the deal," report Sky Sports. "And, once that is done, they will sign and Rice will complete his move to north London.

"Arsenal are hopeful of completing the signing of Rice before the squad flies to the USA for their pre-season tour on Sunday."

READ: HUGE domino falls in Arsenal’s Rice pursuit

Arsenal have already sanctioned Granit Xhaka's €25m sale to Bayer Leverkusen, freeing up space for Rice in their midfield, and Thomas Partey remains a transfer target for Juventus as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia.

As well as the arrivals of Havertz, Rice and Timber, Arsenal have also moved to extend the contracts of France centre-back William Saliba, and former England under-21 winger Reiss Nelson.

Whilst Rice's transfer fee is significant, it falls just short of a British record, after Chelsea paid Benfica €121m (£106.8m) for Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez's services in January.

The Gunners plan to raise more capital through player sales this summer. They have also sold Pablo Mari to Monza and they have slapped a £50m price tag on Folarin Balogun, who scored 22 goals on loan in France with Reims last season.