West Ham Frustrated with Arsenal Over Declan Rice Transfer Delay
West Ham are growing increasingly frustrated with Arsenal over the length of time it is taking to confirm the transfer of Declan Rice. The Gunners had a third bid worth £100million plus £5m in add-ons accepted by West Ham at the end of June, yet talks have since moved onto the structure of those payments and the deal is yet to be announced.
The delay is preventing West Ham from making their own signings and they fear they will miss out on their own targets. David Moyes had made Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes a priority target but West Ham have been unable to launch a bid and now look set to miss out to Newcastle United. They are also keen to lure Joao Palhinha from Fulham as a direct replacement for Rice, though fear they will be priced out of a move due to the massive fee they are about to receive for their skipper.
West Ham’s Anger Over Arsenal’s Delay
The Sun are reporting that West Ham are fuming over the delay in confirming Rice’s transfer. The Gunners’ lawyers are yet to sign off Rice’s contract even though personal terms were agreed weeks ago and West Ham don’t understand why it is taking so long. It is claimed that a ‘bitter taste’ has been left over the way Arsenal have conducted the deal, both now and throughout the entire negotiations.
West Ham’s transfer activity has been put on hold until the situation is resolved and they are watching rivals press ahead with moves for players they want to sign. Rice is currently training in Portugal and is waiting to be given the green light to fly to north London to complete his move. West Ham are not expected to ask the 24-year-old to return to training if the transfer continues to drag on and Mikel Arteta remains hopeful of signing Rice in time for him to join the squad when they fly to the United States on Sunday for their pre-season tour.
Conclusion
West Ham are growing increasingly frustrated with Arsenal over the length of time it is taking to confirm the transfer of Declan Rice. The Gunners had a third bid worth £100million plus £5m in add-ons accepted by West Ham at the end of June, yet talks have since moved onto the structure of those payments and the deal is yet to be announced. This delay is preventing West Ham from making their own signings and they fear they will miss out on their own targets. Rice is currently training in Portugal and is waiting to be given the green light to fly to north London to complete his move. West Ham are not expected to ask the 24-year-old to return to training if the transfer continues to drag on and Mikel Arteta remains hopeful of signing Rice in time for him to join the squad when they fly to the United States on Sunday for their pre-season tour.