‘Not here we go yet’: Fabrizio Romano shares one final hurdle Arsenal have to clear with Declan Rice

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Declan Rice looks set to become Arsenal’s second signing of the summer after Kai Havertz, but we’re not at the stage of being able to call this a done deal just yet.

Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano, speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, there is one final issue that Arsenal need to sort out before we can say for sure that Rice will be joining the Gunners.

According to Romano, a fee has been agreed for Rice, but, apparently, the terms of the payment are still to be negotiated.

Inevitably, West Ham want their money as quickly as possible, while Arsenal want to pay over a longer period of time.

Luckily for Arsenal, Romano says that all parties are relaxed around this deal and it is expected to go ahead.

Not done yet

Romano shared what he knows about this deal.

“Arsenal and West Ham have reached an agreement on the fee for Declan Rice. £100m plus £5m in add-ons. Why is it not here he ho yet? Because we have to wait for Arsenal and West Ham to agree on payment terms. West Ham ask for the money to be paid in 18 months, while Arsenal are offering to pay over four years. They are still discussing the deal structure, but all parties are now relaxed, the player side, the club side, and in the next hours there will be contact to reach the agreement and Declan Rice will become a new Arsenal player,” Romano said.

Compromise

In our view, there seems to be an easy solution here.

West Ham want the money in 18 months, Arsenal want to pay over four years, why don’t they meet in the middle and do this over the next two and a half years.

It’s a deal that probably works for all parties involved. West Ham get a good chunk of money up front, and Arsenal can spread the cost over a longer period of time.

Of course, football is never that simple, but it shouldn’t be too tough to thrash this one out.