Declan Rice leaves West Ham amid Arsenal links
The HinduWest Ham announced the departure of Declan Rice on Saturday for what the club said would be a British-record transfer fee. West Ham didn’t reveal the team Rice would be joining or the fee in a statement that was accompanied by a message from the player to West Ham’s fans, saying it was a “tough” decision driven by his “ambition to play at the very highest level of the game.” “Playing on the opposite team to West Ham for the first time will be an unusual experience,” the 24-year-old Rice said. “I’m not sure yet exactly how I will feel, but I also know you will all understand and respect that my professional loyalties have to now lie with my new club.” Arsenal is reportedly paying an initial fee of 100 million pounds for Rice, who spent nine years with West Ham. Rice’s last game for West Ham was its win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in June, after which it became clear the defensive midfielder would be leaving the team whose academy he joined in 2014 from Chelsea.