Arsenal transfer news, live! Latest reports, rumors, updates

Declan Rice to Arsenal should be completed soon as the structure of how the huge $134 million transfer fee will be paid has reportedly been agreed.

According to The Guardian , Arsenal will pay $127 million to West Ham in three instalments over the next two years. There are also add-ons of close to $7 million.

Per the report, Rice will have his medical at Arsenal this week and will soon be confirmed as their player. The England international always wanted this move to the Gunners and he is set to become the focal point of Mikel Arteta’s midfield with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey moving on.

Rice is worth this huge transfer fee and he has everything Arsenal need to become more powerful and reliable in the engine room as he will win the ball back and feed their talented attacking unit.

Arsenal are having a very busy summer and Mikel Arteta will reportedly add another central midfielder after sealing the deal for Declan Rice.

According to The Times , Arsenal will bid for Romeo Lavia from Southampton as soon as the deal for Rice is confirmed. Per the report, Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of the Belgian international midfielder who was superb as a teenager in the Premier League last season.

$63.6 million is the price Southampton want for Lavia who joined from Manchester City last summer. The likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have also been linked with a move for the 19-year-old who is very good at winning the ball back, reading the game and getting his team on the front foot.

Lavia will be a perfect player to sit alongside Rice in Arsenal’s midfield as the duo of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey both appear to be moving on this summer.

USMNT striker Folarin Balogun will be a target for plenty of teams this summer but quite a few may be put off by this price tag. According to our partners in the UK at Sky Sports, Arsenal have slapped a $63 million value on Balogun. The striker had a sensational season on loan at Reims in Ligue 1 last season (scoring 22 goals) and impressed for the USMNT as they won the CONCACAF Nations League in June. This price tag does seem a little step for the 22-year-old forward but his clinical finishing is there for all to see so maybe this is the price you pay for a striker who will probably score 10-plus goals a season in one of Europe’s top five leagues?

Done deal.

This is now getting very interesting and seems like it will end with Declan Rice playing for Arsenal. According to our partners in the UK at Sky Sports , Manchester City have pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice as they aren’t prepared to up their bid of $114 million. With Arsenal having a bid of $130 million rejected by West Ham on Tuesday due to issues over the structure of the deal, the report says talks between the two London clubs are continuing on Wednesday. Is Rice worth this much? Hardly any player is. But one thing is for sure: if Arsenal sign Rice then their midfield will be set for most of the next decade. He’s that good and will make everyone else around him better. Now they are this close, Arsenal have to make this happen.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Rice to Arsenal could be confirmed over the next 36 hours as everybody is clear that he will be heading to the Gunners.

Okay, so this is getting very tasty now. According to Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic , Manchester City have had a bid of $114 million rejected by West Ham, as the race to sign Declan Rice is heating up. With Arsenal said to be the favorites to sign Rice, the England international is now attracting huge interest from the treble winners and he would be perfect for the way Manchester City play. Imagine Rodri and Declan Rice winning the ball back time and time again to feed Kevin de Bruyne and Co.? That would be ridiculous. Various reports says that Rice wants to stay in London and Arsenal is his preferred destination but the Gunners are yet to agree a fee with West Ham and the latter now have City involved so the price for Rice will be driven up further.

Arsenal are moving closer to signing Jurrien Timber, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Dutch defender, 22, is a top target for the Gunners and per the latest report, Arsenal have made a second bid closer to Ajax’s asking price. Timber is versatile and comfortable on the ball and he can either play at center back or right back and will provide Mikel Arteta with a big upgrade in his defensive options. Timber has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time and this seems like the perfect club at the perfect time.

It appears that Kai Havertz will be announced as an Arsenal player early next week. Multiple reports, including the Guardian and Fabrizio Romano, say that Havertz’s move from Chelsea to Arsenal will become official. Havertz, 24, will reportedly cost Arsenal up to $81 million and his ability to link up and slot in anywhere across the final third is exactly why Mikel Arteta has made him a priority signing this summer. Havertz would not have been a great fit for the way Mauricio Pochettino wants Chelsea to play and moving on now is a very smart move by him.

Kai Havertz is on the verge of moving from west London to north London, and returning to the UEFA Champions League in the process, after Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly agreed on an $83-million transfer fee for the 24-year-old German international. Mikel Arteta reportedly made signing Havertz a top priority to begin the summer transfer window as he adds greater depth and versatility to a squad which ran a strong Premier League title race but faltered down the stretch last season. Havertz’s positional flexibility and defensive work rate will make him a valuable piece of Arteta’s puzzle, aside from his goals and assists output.

It appears that Arsenal really, really want Kai Havertz from Chelsea. Per a report from the Daily Mail , Arsenal have made a verbal offer of $76.4 million for Havertz after Chelsea rejected their initial offer for the German forward. It is clear that Chelsea must balance the books this summer and they are going to move on more than 15 players as Todd Boehly and Co., totally rebuild the squad once again. Chelsea should snap off Arsenal’s hand for this huge fee for Havertz. Why? Havertz just won’t fit Mauricio Pochettino’s system and overall he has struggled with the tempo of the Premier League (yes, I know, he scored the winner in the Champions League final...) since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2020. However, his versatility and the way he glides between the attacking lines means he is perfect for Arsenal’s system and Mikel Arteta is being very savvy in trying to make the most of Chelsea’s need to balance the books. In the right system and alongside the right players, Havertz could be lethal and he is much more than a goalscorer.

Arsenal are ‘working on a deal’ to sign Ajax and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber. Per David Ornstein, Arsenal have offered $38.1 million for Timber, who is a versatile defender. It is believed Timber would be asked to play as a center back or a right back in the Ben White role and like Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left of Arsenal’s defense, Timber is very comfortable coming inside with the ball and almost playing as a central midfielder. Timber was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last summer but it seems like the Gunners are now leading the charge. If they can agree a deal with Ajax, this would be another very smart signing and a big upgrade on the right-side of their defense.

Okay, it is moving forward. According to a report from our partners in the UK at Sky Sports, Arsenal have submitted a second bid of $114 million to West Ham for Declan Rice. Per the report, the Gunners have offered $95 million up front plus $19 million in add ons. Rice, 24, is Arsenal’s main target this summer and with just one year left on his contract at West Ham this is a monster offer. Can West Ham afford to refuse this? Probably not. But Fabrizio Romano has stated that the bid has been rejected as West Ham expect Manchester City to bid for Declan Rice this week and the Guardian have also reported that the Hammers want $127.3 million for Rice.

West Ham obviously want to drive the price as high as possible but given Rice’s desire to move on and all he has done for the club, this seems like a fair offer from Arsenal to West Ham. If this move happens, Arsenal’s talented young side has just got one of the best young central midfielders in the game and Rice is only going to get better. This is the perfect signing for Mikel Arteta’s side and a perfect fit for Rice as he aims to keep Arsenal in title pushes for many years to come. (JPW)

A report from The Daily Telegraph says that Thomas Partey will be allowed to leave Arsenal this summer if the Gunners find a suitable replacement. That replacement is believed to be Romeo Lavia, as the Belgian youngster is one of their top midfield targets alongside Declan Rice. With Granit Xhaka expected to move on to Bayer Leverkusen in the coming weeks, Partey, 30, is also surplus to requirements. The Ghanian midfielder struggled massively in the final months of last season and Mikel Arteta wants to rebuild his engine room. When you look around Arsenal’s team, central midfield is the main area they need to improve in and despite being very solid for most of his time with the Gunners Partey can have no complaints if he is moved on this summer.