Arsenal outbids Manchester City with record $132.8M transfer fee to land Declan Rice from West Ham
Arsenal has agreed to pay a £105 million transfer fee to acquire the rights to Declan Rice from West Ham United, The Athletic reports. Per the conversion rate on Wednesday, that adds up to roughly $132.8 million.
The agreement sets a new record for an English player's transfer in the Premier League, breaking Manchester City's £100 million fee in 2022 to acquire Jack Grealish.
The two sides are still working out the details of the payment terms, but the deal has been agreed upon in principle, per the report. The agreement concludes a bidding war for the 24-year-old midfielder that involved three-time reigning champion Manchester City.
Per the report, Arsenal initially offered £90 million, a price that Manchester City matched. Both bids were rejected by West Ham. Arsenal responded by upping its offer on Tuesday to an initial fee of £100 million plus £5 million in add-ons, ultimately outbidding Manchester City to secure its top target.
Rice has played his entire senior professional career for West Ham, making 245 appearances since joining the team in 2017. He started his international career playing for the Republic of Ireland, but made a one-time switch to play for England in 2019 and played on its 2022 World Cup team.
His pending arrival at Arsenal has the potential to balance the shift of power at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City edged second-place Arsenal in May to win the Premier League.
