Arsenal complete £105m transfer for Declan Rice

Arsenal have officially announced that West Ham’s Declan Rice has joined them for a record British fee of £105m (£100m plus £5m in add-ons).

The Gunners announcement comes only hours after the Hammers confirmation that they have agreed with Rice that he will be leaving the club in a written statement.

OFFICIAL: Declan Rice joins Arsenal on club record deal for £100m plus £5m in add-ons. 🔴⚪️✨ #AFC

Rice also becomes the most expensive English player in the history of the game.

Rice will wear number 4️⃣1️⃣ and signs deal valid until June 2028 with option for further season. pic.twitter.com/ai32Q9lvTA

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 15, 2023

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The 24-year-old declared how ‘tough’ it was to leave the fans he was bringing joy to for so many years.

“I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been on,” he said.

“Not last season but the season before, they [only] finished fifth, but you could see the style of play Mikel was implementing.

“Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Manchester City.”

Rice becomes Arsenal’s third major signing this summer following in the footsteps of Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber as the Gunners are looking to bolster their squad and their ambition of mounting a serious title challenge next season.