West Ham confirm departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal
- Rice joins for British-record fee of £105m
- Gunners land top target despite rival interest from Man City
- Midfielder leaves West Ham after captaining them to European glory
By Sean Walsh
West Ham have confirmed the departure of Declan Rice, who joins Arsenal for a British record transfer fee.
The Gunners have heavily pursued a move for the England midfielder over the last few months, making him a priority target this transfer window.
90min first reported of Arsenal's interest in Rice back in January, but they faced stiff competition for his signature.
Despite productive talks at the beginning of June, Arsenal initially angered West Ham with their low-ball bidding.
The Hammers stood firm on their demands of a nine-figure sum to be paid largely up front, with Arsenal eventually agreeing to a British-record £105m fee.
READ MORE ON DECLAN RICE'S MOVE TO ARSENAL
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Rice prioritised a move to Mikel Arteta's side over other suitors such as Manchester City, who ultimately were not prepared to match the Gunners' final offer, as well as Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
And the 24-year-old has now completed his switch across London to the Emirates Stadium.
Rice leaves West Ham as one of only three men to have lifted a trophy as the captain of West Ham, following in the footsteps of club legends Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds.
He played a starring role in their Europa Conference League triumph at the end of the 2022/23 season, beating Fiorentina in a memorable final in Prague.
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