Rice on the menu at Arsenal

Gunners get their man after agreeing fee with West Ham

MANCHESTER, England — Arsenal lost the Premier League title race to Manchester City, but it appears the Gunners have beaten Pep Guardiola's team to the signature of Declan Rice.

According to multiple British media reports, Arsenal's third bid of 105 million pounds ($133 million) has been accepted by West Ham for the England international. The deal comprises 100 million pounds up front and 5 million pounds in add-ons.

Manchester City has also targeted Rice but is not prepared to match that figure, a person with knowledge of the team's transfer plans told the Associated Press.

City's unwillingness to bid any higher has also been widely reported in the British press.

That looks to have left the path clear for Arsenal to make what could be one of the most pivotal signings in England's top division.

After going head-to-head in last season's title race, City and Arsenal have been locked in a battle for Rice's signature since the transfer window opened.

Arsenal missed out on the title after leading the standings for most of the season. It might have been a different story if Rice had been in the heart of its midfield.

That is likely what Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is banking on after making him a leading target this year.

The 24-year-old Rice has established himself as a leader on the field, with the energy to drive his team forward and the physicality to dominate matches.

He is set to leave West Ham after leading it to success in the Europa Conference League, the club's first major trophy in more than 40 years.

Rice joined West Ham's academy from Chelsea as a teenager and has been ever-present since his breakthrough season in 2017-18. He made his England debut in 2019.

Some observers have expressed reservations over Rice's creative ability on the ball, however his combativeness in midfield makes him a player with the potential to close the gap between Arsenal and City, which won the treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup last season.

A move to City would have likely pushed Guardiola's team even further ahead of its rivals with the addition of another top player, as has been the case in recent years with the signings of Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

Arsenal's hierarchy is aware of that and is backing a major transfer drive by Arteta after he led the club into the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

City's decision not to be drawn into an auction is not a surprise. Despite being one of the world's richest clubs, thanks to the backing of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, it has repeatedly refused to go beyond its own valuation of a target.

That was the case with Virgil van Dijk, Harry Maguire and Kalidou Koulibaly in previous transfer windows. But the interest in Rice points to Guardiola's desire to strengthen the midfield following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona. While midfielder Mateo Kovacic signed from Chelsea on Tuesday for 25 million pounds, doubts remain about the future of Bernardo Silva.

Havertz eyes trophies

Arsenal on Wednesday signed German attacking midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a "long-term contract".

Neither club disclosed a fee but British media said Arsenal was paying Chelsea 65 million pounds.

Havertz joined Chelsea in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen. He made 139 appearances in three seasons, scoring 32 times, including the only goal in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final victory over City.

"The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently," Havertz told Arsenal.com. "The aim is to win trophies and I'm going to give everything to do that."

Meanwhile, Arsenal's north London rival Tottenham has signed playmaker James Maddison from relegated Leicester City in a five-year deal worth 40 million pounds.

Agencies via Xinhua