As Arsenal step up their pursuit for midfield reinforcements in the shape of West Ham United captain Declan Rice, it seems as if West Ham are facing an internal battle over how the deal should be structured. That is according to FootballTransfers.
It’s been widely reported for a while now that Arsenal are interested in making a move for Rice in the summer, with some reports suggesting that Arsenal are ready to wages of £300k a week to wrap up the deal with the player. There is also an accepted position from West Ham that Rice will want to move on as a player of his quality is far more suited to fighting for titles than fighting in a relegation battle. But now it seems that David Moyes and the West Ham United board are at odds as to how the club should approach the deal with Arsenal.
According to FootballTransfers, the hierarchy of the Hammers want a significant up-front cash lump sum for Rice – rumoured to be around the £85-95m mark – but manager David Moyes instead wants a part-exchange deal that would immediately bolster his squad. A part-exchange would, of course, not be as lucrative financially to The Hammers and would also save funds for Arsenal in invest in more players for their own squad.
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It is suggested that the players that Moyes is most keen on are Reiss Nelson, Folarin Balogun and Albert Sambi-Lokonga – all of whom Arsenal would have no issues moving on as part of the deal for Rice.
Apparently, a major deciding factor for the West Ham board could be the structure of the deal. The more money that The Gunners offer as an advance on Rice’s transfer fee, the more attractive it would be to their London rivals. Of course, Rice will only have 12 months left on his contract when it comes to this summer and West Ham United could see him run down his contract and leave for nothing next summer.
With reports that Arsenal are still interested in signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, Mikel Arteta could turn his attention elsewhere if West Ham’s demands are deemed too extortionate. So it seems that the odds are favouring Arsenal when it comes to this move in the upcoming transfer window.
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