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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Jorginho admits Arsenal players are in the dark over Declan Rice announcement

Arsenal star Jorginho has admitted he and his team-mates are still in the dark over when Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber will arrive at the club.

The Gunners are closing in on moves for both players as Mikel Arteta bids to kick his side's transfer business into gear. A record fee for Rice was agreed with West Ham eight days ago, but the Hammers are growing frustrated at the slow progress of the deal.

Timber meanwhile is set to join the Gunners in a £40million move from Ajax, with Arsenal beating off competition from Manchester United. Transfer chiefs at the Emirates appear to be keeping any details of the double move under wraps.

That information comes from Jorginho, who joined Arteta's side from Chelsea in the January window. The Italian has revealed that the squad have been given no indication of an arrival date for either Rice or Timber.

He was being questioned on social media app The Residency, which allows fans to speak to footballers. One Gunners fan asked the midfielder: "Jorginho, when are Rice and Timber joining?"

They were left disappointed though, with the Italian international responding “Good question. No idea", along with three laughing emojis. Jorginho's admission comes with West Ham growing frustrated over the slow progress of Rice's move.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Declan Rice be a success at Arsenal? Comment below.

Jorginho has admitted he has no idea when Declan Rice will join Arsenal (YouTube/Arsenal)

The contracts between the Hammers and Arsenal are still not signed, with the Gunners' lawyers still drawing up the paperwork. It is thought Rice has already passed his medical, with only the contracts needing to be signed before he joins Arteta's side.

Arteta is currently in Germany, having taken his players there on a training camp before flying out to a pre-season tour of the United States on Sunday. Arsenal are hoping to have confirmed his arrival by that point, though Arteta is staying quiet.

"I can't talk about players who are not in the club. I prefer not to say anything. Talent comes at a price, and at Arsenal we are always interested in youngsters with experience," the Arsenal boss told Marca earlier this summer.

"I repeat, I'm not talking about players from other clubs, but in the case of Kai [Havertz] he has already shown a lot, including a Champions League. We have already regenerated the squad, with a very young average and to generate performance and value.

"We have some owners aligned with us: build a winning team that is sustained over time, without so much investment. But the demand is increasing and you have to go to the market to find what we don't have to continue improving.

"The investment point is one and the revaluation perhaps matters more: how much is a player you buy worth in 'x' years. There is investment with yield and revaluation. That is our strategy to sustain ourselves."

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