Published 05:30 3 May 2024 GMT+1

West Ham may have negotiated themselves out of a potential bonus payment from Arsenal for midfielder Declan Rice.

Rice left boyhood club West Ham to join Arsenal in a £105m move in the summer transfer window, becoming the most expensive English player in history in the process.

The midfielder has enjoyed an excellent individual campaign with the Gunners and could yet end it with major silverware.

Mikel Arteta's side are currently one point clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, although the defending champions have one game in hand on their title rivals.

Should Arsenal go on and win the title this season, West Ham may end up kicking themselves over a potential missed opportunity.

During negotiations over the transfer of Rice last summer, West Ham reportedly rejected a series of add-ons proposed by Arsenal which could have taken the overall fee beyond the £105m mark.

As reported by 101greatgoals, these add-ons were based on Arsenal winning the Premier League and winning the Champions League, which West Ham reportedly viewed as 'unrealistic' at the time.

Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol claimed that the Hammers instead opted for the safer option of £5m of add-ons - £1m every time the Gunners qualified for the Champions League with Rice starting 60 per cent of games, capped at £5m.

Should Arsenal win the Premier League title this season, it is very possible West Ham may have missed the chance for a greater payment than the extra £1m they are set to receive from Arteta's side qualifying for the Champions League.

Regardless of whether Arsenal win the league, Rice can view his debut season at the Emirates as a successful one.

Speaking last month, the midfielder explained why he picked the north London club over City, who were also interested in signing him last summer.

"This project seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal," he told The Athletic.

"I believe we're on to big things here."

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