Arsenal’s qualification for the Champions League earns West Ham the first of five potential additions.
West Ham United will receive an additional payment of £1m for the sale of Declan Rice after Arsenal qualified for next season’s Champions League. The amount of such transfers amounted to 101 million pounds, the fee West Ham received for their former midfielder. They will be paid an extra £1m per season for up to five seasons for each season in which Arsenal competes in the Champions League. That covers the length of Rice’s five-year contract, although his contract also includes an option for a further 12 months.
Arsenal agreed an initial fee of £100m for Rice when he was signed last summer after they beat Manchester City. It has been reported that this could rise to as much as £105 million and Telegraph Sport reports that all those additional payments are linked to Rice’s Champions League qualification and appearances, of which he must played 60% of Arsenal’s matches.
West Ham will not receive any additional money if Arsenal wins a trophy, such as being crowned Premier League champions this season.
The extra £1m they will receive means Rice officially becomes the most expensive English player ever sold between two Premier League clubs – surpassing the £100m paid by Man City to Aston Villa to buy Jack Grealish in 2021.
West Ham have reached a favorable agreement in negotiations to sell Rice. They initially rejected Arsenal’s offer of £75 million with additional terms of up to £15 million over five years. The offer from Man City was also received and discussed, but in the end they did not reach the amount equivalent to the amount Arsenal was willing to pay for the England international. West Ham also achieved the desired plan.
Rice will now hope for favors from his former club, who face Man City on the final day of the season. If they can prevent the champions from winning and if Arsenal beat Everton at home then Arsenal will win the league for the first time in 20 years.
The match against Man City will also mark David Moyes’ last game at West Ham as his departure was announced last week, after four and a half years at the club. He will be replaced by former Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Julien Lopetegui.
Rice, 25, has enjoyed huge success at Arsenal since moving to the Emirates. He initially made public opinion suspicious with his price tag, but the midfielder’s performances erased everything. If the Gunners win the championship, it will not be surprising if he is voted the Best Player of the tournament.