Arsenal & West Ham still yet to compromise on Rice deal

West Ham agreed to a £105m fee to sell Rice earlier this week, but negotiations continued over the payment schedule of the deal.

Arsenal wanted to pay over four or five years, whilst the Hammers were looking to receive the entire guaranteed fee within 18 months.

A couple of days later, it seems the two clubs still haven’t found a way to meet in the middle.

David Ornstein suggests all parties are “working on a compromise”, with Arsenal making a proposal to West Ham on how the payment structure would work.

Ornstein added that he expects Arsenal will do what they need to do to get the deal done, having had a fee accepted, and the move “should get wrapped up in due course”.

Yet the journalist clarified that he doesn’t know if a full agreement is imminent, and it could still be days away.

The delay is sure to induce some nerves in Arsenal fans, particularly after the Mykhaylo Mudryk saga in January.

Manchester City have made it clear they don’t plan to match Arsenal’s bid, but there’s always the possibility that West Ham simply keep Rice around for another year.

Whilst that’s certainly unlikely at this stage, the deal isn’t done until both clubs have signed it off.

Rice is currently on holiday, after finally concluding a long season with a couple of games on international duty over the last fortnight.

The 24-year-old made 50 appearances for West Ham and 11 appearances for England over the last 12 months.

After a well-earned break, it looks like the 24-year-old will be linking up with new teammates in pre-season.