On the morning of July 5 (Vietnam time), reputable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Arsenal had reached an agreement to sign midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham. "Everything is going very smoothly and the Gunners are about to have their top target this summer, Declan Rice. 100 million pounds plus an additional 5 million pounds is the transfer fee. It is Arsenal's most expensive contract ever and the most expensive English player in history," Fabrizio Romano wrote.

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Declan Rice for £100m. Photo: Romano

According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are planning a medical for Declan Rice this week, after reaching a final agreement with West Ham. In addition, the "Gunners" will let Granit Xhaka join Leverkusen and then close the deal for Jurrien Timber from Ajax. The Dutch midfielder is expected to move to the "Gunners" for a fee of up to 45 million pounds.

Previously, Arsenal successfully recruited another expensive rookie, Kai Havertz, from Chelsea. The German midfielder moved to the Gunners for a fee of up to 65 million pounds and he will wear the number 29 shirt at the Emirates Stadium. If he completes the recruitment of Declan Rice and Timber, the total amount of money that Arsenal spends on new players in the summer transfer window of 2023 will be up to 210 million pounds, the largest amount in the history of a transfer window of the "Gunners".

Declan Rice was born in 1999 and plays as a defensive or central midfielder. At club level, Rice joined Chelsea's youth academy in 2006 at the age of 7. In 2014, he joined West Ham's academy and played for the team until the end of the 2022-2023 season. Declan Rice has played a total of 210 matches for West Ham and scored 10 goals. Previously, this midfielder was targeted by Man City.

HOAI PHUONG (synthesis)