According to sources who spoke to 90min, Arsenal has made significant progress in its pursuit of Declan Rice after agreeing to pay West Ham more than £100 million for the England midfielder.
The Europa Conference League champions, who believe that the 24-year-old will only be sold for more than £100m, have long been the Gunners' main summer target, but there has been a reluctance to pay their high price.
However, 90min reports that Arsenal have advanced in their pursuit of Rice and have informed West Ham that they will spend greater than £100 million to get their captain to north London. This is because rivals Chelsea and Bayern Munich are hovering.
The 24-year-old will eclipse Real Madrid's summer acquisition of Jude Bellingham and Manchester City's agreement for Jack Grealish as the most expensive English player of all time if Arsenal completes the deal, as they are now expected to do.
Rice was told by club captain David Sullivan that he is free to leave if the Hammers are suitably rewarded for his departure, and the chairman of West Ham has acknowledged that they intend to trade Rice this summer.
While clubs from all over Europe have been keeping an eye on the situation, Arsenal has taken the initiative by saying that it is willing to pay West Ham's asking price, with Rice reportedly eager to transfer to the Emirates.
Just a short time ago, Arsenal achieved another significant advancement in contract negotiations with center-back William Saliba, which led to progress in the Rice negotiations.
Saliba's present contract has just one year remaining, and negotiations for an extension had been dragging on for almost the whole season. However, an agreement on a four-year term has now been reached, giving Arsenal a huge advantage.
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Declan Rice negotiations between Arsenal and West Ham advance.
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