West Ham United have confirmed Declan Rice has left the club ahead of his expected £105m ($137m) transfer to Arsenal.
The east London club said they had agreed to leave the 24-year-old England international for a record British transfer fee.
The Athletic reported earlier this month that the midfielder was allowed to undergo a medical and finalize personal terms after his London team-mates Arsenal agreed a price of £100m plus a possible £5m in surcharges.
In a statement to fans released on West Ham’s official website, Rice, who played 245 games for the club after graduating from the academy, says a club he joined when he was 14 was “always in will be in my heart”.
“I want you to know how difficult it was for me to leave an environment that I loved and cherished so much,” said Rice, who captained West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League final in May.
“Ultimately, it was always about my ambition to play at the highest level.
“To go after Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds and to be only the third captain in club history to win a major trophy means a lot to me.
“Playing in West Ham’s opposition team for the first time will be an unusual experience. I don’t know exactly how I will feel yet, but I also know that you will all understand and respect that my professional allegiance must now lie with my new club.
“I’ll give 100 per cent every time I put the shirt on – because that’s how I grew up at West Ham and I’m sure you wouldn’t expect anything else. However, that does not mean that my love and respect for you all has been diminished in any way. This club and its fans will always be in my heart and will always be a part of me.”
That first meeting could take place on December 26, when West Ham are set to visit Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in the Premier League.
West Ham chairman David Sullivan, meanwhile, said his club felt they had no choice but to let Rice go in this transfer window.
“I want to make it clear to our supporters that we didn’t want to sell Declan,” he says.
“We wanted to build our team around him and have made a number of enhanced, long-term contract offers to secure his future. However, when Declan made it clear he wanted to move on and seek a new challenge, the club felt it was not right to stand in his way and act in West Ham United’s best interests.
“He leaves with the heartfelt thanks, respect and love of everyone here.”
(Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)