Arsenal have agreed a contract to sign Declan Rice, and Fabrizio Romano has announced the two other deals that will be finalized after the Englishman's medical.
Long before the window opened, Mikel Arteta was
desperate to sign Rice. Since January, the West Ham captain has been linked
with a move to Arsenal, and the transaction is finally poised to be finalized
now.
Rice's signing should excite Arsenal, and we're
sure it does. However, Romano stated on Twitter that they will finalize two
agreements next - Jurrien Timber's entry and Granit Xhaka's exit.
Arsenal will sign Jurrien Timber and sell
Granit Xhaka after signing Declan Rice.
So far, Arsenal has been incredibly busy in
this transfer window. The Gunners have already signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea,
and it appears that Declan Rice will follow.
The West Ham captain will likely be the most
exciting acquisition of the transfer window, but there will undoubtedly be more
arrivals following him.
If all goes well, Romano claims that Ajax star
Jurrien Timber would be the next one in, but Arsenal must also finalize a few
outgoings to make room in their team.
The first one who is set to leave is Granit
Xhaka, whose next destination will reportedly be Bayer Leverkusen.
Romano tweeted last night: “Arsenal are
planning for medical tests this week for Declan Rice after reaching final agreement
with West Ham tonight.
“Gunners now expected to give the green light
for Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen and then close also Jurrien Timber deal.”
The signing of Declan Rice is a huge boost for
Arsenal ahead of the start of the new season.
The Gunners needed a new midfielder coming into
the transfer season, and there aren't many better in England than Rice, who has
been phenomenal in recent years.
Rice's arrival now clears the way for Xhaka to
join Leverkusen. According to The Athletic, the Gunners will make £21.5 million
from his transfer, which is astonishing considering he turns 31 in September.
Timber appears to be the next arriving player,
and the Ajax defender would be a terrific signing.
Isn't it a fantastic moment to be an Arsenal
fan?