It appears we have another 48 hours to wait until we see the conclusion of the Declan Rice sale from West Ham to Arsenal.

The Hammers have been battling Arsenal US money men on the pay structure, sell on clause plus the add-ons clause but there now appears to light at the end of tunnel.

West Ham have played hard ball telling Arsenal to pay up or shut up and final details are expected to be ironed out within the next 48 hours.

According to Jacob Steinberg writing for the Guardian  “Arsenal are close to finalising terms over their £105m deal for West Ham’s Declan Rice, with the guaranteed portion of the fee expected to be paid in three instalments over 24 months. West Ham are selling the midfielder for £100m plus £5m in add-ons and the transfer is on the verge of completion. Arsenal wanted to spread the cost of the guaranteed payment over five years but have been forced to bring the number of instalments down in order to bring Mikel Arteta’s top summer target to the Emirates Stadium. Talks over the nature of the add-ons are ongoing but Rice is expected to undergo a medical and join Arsenal this week. Keeping the payment structure on a tight schedule will help West Ham’s financial position. They were angling for the £100m to be paid by the end of 2024 but it is understood that a compromise has been reached on the summer of 2025 as the date for the final payment. West Ham were placed on Uefa’s Financial Fair Play watchlist last September.”

Whether the payment terms are 18 months or 24 months remains to be seen but we probably don’t have too long to find out.