Transfer News: Declan Rice To Arsenal Near Completion; Gunners Also Sign Chelsea Star

The summer transfer window has been open for about two weeks now, and Arsenal dug deep into their pockets to finally convince West Ham United to sell them their captain and prized midfield talent Declan Rice.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Hammers were able to pull out £105 million ($132.64 million) from Arsenal's coffers in order to finally allow Rice to go to their side, with the financial breakdown being £100 million ($126.32 million) as the initial fee. Meanwhile, the £5 million ($6.31 million) is a performance-based add-on.

He also confirmed that both sides "remain in talks over deal structure & payment terms—as West Ham United wants £100 million ($126.32 million) to be paid within 18 months."

The Gunners have been linked with Rice for the better part of the transfer window as rumors emerged a few weeks ago that the England national team midfielder was believed to be headed to Arsenal.

Still, it did not seem to be the case after Manchester City entered the race for Rice.

Arsenal edging out Manchester City is a massive win for last season's first runner-up as many fans believe Rice to be their answer at having an all-around midfielder on their side of the field as their club aims to win their first domestic league trophy since the 2003-04 season when Thierry Henry was still their star player and Arsene Wenger as their manager.

Not only did the Gunners get the best of a heated rival in the transfer window for Rice, but they also got one over Chelsea as they successfully negotiated a deal for Kai Havertz.

Romano would reveal the deal as a £65 million ($82.1 million) agreement between Arsenal and Chelsea with his medical having returned clean last weekend.

Prior to the transfer window opening, it was believed that Havertz was more likely to be headed to Spanish La Liga side Real Madrid with them offering a package rumored to be in the neighborhood of "€50 million ($53.57 million) to €60 million ($64.29 million)" plus "bonus payments as Chelsea has to sell players."

Arsenal's offer certainly trumps that of Real Madrid as the Gunners offered €10 million (£8.63 million, $10.9 million) more than what Los Blancos was ready to hand them, further giving the Blues the money they need to rebalance their books.

As the transfer window continues to roll on, it will be interesting to see how other clubs will look to counter Arsenal's latest signings with talent outside of the English Premier League as the midfield market has significantly dried up.