Arsenal’s record deal for Declan Rice is in the final stages of being officially concluded as both the Gunners and West Ham iron out the numbers surrounding the club’s £105m move for the Hammers captain.
The 24-year-old England international is soon to become the most expensive British footballer in history when he is officially unveiled as an Arsenal player, with the Gunners working tirelessly to secure Mikel Arteta’s top summer target.
Declan Rice vs Arsenal’s midfielders last season…📊 pic.twitter.com/cvzoTsbfHc
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 30, 2023
Thanks to the insight provided by The Athletic’s James McNicholas via YouTube, details have emerged regarding what steps are left to be taken to seal the deal, including how Stan and Josh Kroenke at the head of umbrella corporation KSE helped make it happen.
“It’s no longer between Edu & Karren Brady, it’s now a conversation between accountants effectively, people who are trying to make the numbers stack up for both sides, so this enormous transaction can take place. It is complex, but there is no reason to panic. If anything, the people involved in making this deal are a little bit more relaxed now because everyone is on the same page.”
“West Ham can use the guarantee of future money from Arsenal to borrow against, to improve their cash flow in the short-term, but with interest rates high, that may not be favorable for them to do. Arsenal, meanwhile, they’re in a position where they can borrow direct from someone very close to them – they have borrowed, up until this point, quite a substantial amount of money, into the hundreds of millions, from KSE – effectively Stan Kroenke & his business.”
“They can continue to do that & I suspect in order to get a deal the size of Declan Rice over the line, they will have to do that, but the benefit is that KSE is likely to offer Arsenal, as a sibling company, a pretty favorable rate with fixed terms that will not escalate based on interest, that’s my understanding.”
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