North London club are hoping to get the deal finished so midfielder, currently on holiday in Portugal, can join them on pre-season tour
Arsenal are working towards completing their club-record move for Declan Rice in time for the midfielder to join their pre-season tour of the United States which starts next week.
Rice has been on holiday in Portugal this week and is therefore yet to finalise his £105 million move from West Ham United.
The 24-year-old has had a longer break than other England internationals because he did not have a post-season rest due to West Ham’s participation in the Europa Conference League final on June 7.
The terms of the deal were agreed between the two clubs earlier this month but the transfer has not yet been officially finalised, prompting supporters to question whether it has been delayed.
There are no suggestions of anything going wrong with the deal or any issues with regard to the payments for the player, Telegraph Sport understands. Transfers of such a size are financially complicated and Rice’s holiday has so far prevented the final details from being signed and sealed.
Rice has posted pictures online of himself training in Portugal this week. He has been working alongside Portuguese internationals Rafael Leao, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Cancelo.
Rice will become the most expensive player in Arsenal’s history when his transfer is confirmed, with this deal comfortably surpassing the £72 million spent on Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
Arsenal are also hoping to announce the arrival of Dutch defender Jurrien Timber in advance of their trip to the US.
They are currently on a training camp in Germany and will fly to the US this weekend. They have matches in Washington DC (against MLS All-Stars), New Jersey (against Manchester United) and Los Angeles (against Barcelona).
Arsenal then face Monaco in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium on August 2nd, before they meet Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 6.
Arsenal’s Premier League campaign will begin with a match at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday August 12.
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