Last Updated on: 16th July 2023, 04:54 pm
By Sky Sports
London I Arsenal have signed England midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham for a club-record fee of £105m.
The deal eclipses the £72m Arsenal paid for Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019, while it is also a record transfer fee between two British clubs.
But Rice’s signing is just short of the British record transfer fee with Chelsea paying £106.8m for midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.
Rice has signed a five-year deal at Arsenal which runs until 2028, with the option of a further year and will wear the No 41 shirt.
His move to the Emirates Stadium brings a decade-long spell at West Ham to an end, rising from a youth-team player to club captain
He made 245 appearances for the Hammers after making his first-team debut in 2017 and his final game for the club saw him lift West Ham’s first trophy in 43 years after they won the Europa Conference League final.
The 24-year-old’s arrival at Arsenal takes their summer spending to £208m following the signings of Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65m and Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £38m.
Also read: Arsenal buys Timber
The £105m Rice deal is broken down into an initial payment of £100m, which will be paid over 24 months, with £5m in add-ons, which are £1m every time Arsenal qualify for the Champions League and Rice starts 60 per cent of games.
Rice praise Arteta
Speaking to the Arsenal website, Rice said he was determined to take his game to another level with the Gunners and praised the club’s manager Mikel Arteta
“In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it’s really hard to turn down,” Rice said.
“You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he’s building. I’m really looking forward to the future with Arsenal.
“With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me.
“I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I’ve come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.
“I know he [Arteta] is going to get the best out of me. I know I’ve got more levels to go up in my game, and I feel like he’s the manager to take me to those next levels. I am really excited to be working with him.”
Arteta told the club’s official website: “We’re really happy that Declan is joining us. He is a player with tremendous ability, who has been performing at a high level in the Premier League and for England for a number of seasons now.
“Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.
“Declan has great experience in the Premier League at only 24 years old. He has captained a very good West Ham team and as we all saw, he recently lifted a European trophy,” Arteta added.