David Sullivan, the club’s chairman, confirmed as much during a live talkSPORT interview (h/t talkSPORT.com), and the only real question is where he will end up.
Clearly, the Hammers talisman’s final act as a player for the club was to raise the Europa Conference League trophy to the heavens, cementing his place as one of West Ham’s best players in recent memory.
While there will undoubtedly be some regret among club supporters at seeing one of their own go for greener pastures, they will certainly wish him well given what a fantastic job he performed for the club.
He always seemed to lead from the front and by example, and if the team didn’t win, it wasn’t for lack of effort on Rice’s part.
For a long time, it was expected that the midfielder would join Arsenal, and TeamTalk reports that a deal is close, albeit no sum has been agreed upon.
While those conversations continue, it gives any other interested parties optimism that there may be an opportunity to make an 11th-hour bid and steal Rice from Arsenal’s grasp.
According to the outlet, Chelsea would likely go above £100 million for the player’s services, which could make them a potential favorite given that such a price is more likely to appeal to West Ham than the £92 million reported by The Telegraph (subscription required) that the Gunners want to pay.