West Ham United are reportedly becoming frustrated with the time it has taken for Arsenal to sign off on the final parts of the £105 million move that would see Declan Rice move to the Emirates, in what would be a record fee for a British player.
That’s according to Sky Sports News, who claim that the delay around the announcement of the England midfielder’s move to Arsenal is due to the Noth London club’s lawyers not signing off on the paperwork for the deal to be ratified.
According to the same report, the Hammers know he has passed his medical but, as of yet, there has been no announcement of the player’s move to the Gunners.
Rice has been seen training on holiday in Portugal with Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao, and Joao Cancelo, as a move to Arsenal is seemingly edging closer, despite the apparent annoyance from West Ham over the delay.
‘Everything is pretty much done and dusted’
The Athletic’s football correspondent David Ornstein, speaking on Sky Sports last night, reassured Arsenal fans that the deal, from what he was hearing, was practically done.
“My understanding is pretty much everything is done and dusted,” Ornstein revealed. “For Arsenal fans, there’s nothing to be concerned about, they’re committing a record fee – £100 million plus £5 million in add-ons – the announcement can take time on a deal of this magnitude.
“There’s a lot to work through on various sides of the deal, but to my knowledge, it is on track and they’ll get the final stages done, then everyone will get this announcement they’ve been waiting for in due course!”
Arsenal are also yet to announce the signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber after a £34 million fee for the Dutch defender was agreed last week. However, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, in his latest YouTube video, it’s just a matter of time before the deal is announced.
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