Bukayo Saka privately tells Arsenal his final decision on new contract offer that could create new hierarchy
Arsenal are closing in on securing the signature of Bukayo Saka for a long-term contract extension, according to the latest reports.
Saka is currently in the final 18 months of his contract with Arsenal, where he has established himself as a key player. Naturally, retaining his services for a longer timeframe has been an important matter that the club have wanted to address.
Recently, they managed to get Gabriel Martinelli to commit for the long term after being in a similar situation. Now, their attention is on getting Saka to follow suit.
And according to the Daily Mail, they have managed to make significant progress in negotiations with the 21-year-old’s entourage.
It is claimed that Saka has directly told Arsenal officials in private that he wants to stay at the club. In turn, it is now down to his representatives to sort out the final, small details in order to make his new contract a reality.
Saka is in line to earn more than £200,000 per week, which means he is likely to become Arsenal’s highest earner.
It represents just how pivotal he has become to the club since graduating their academy and becoming a fully-fledged member of the first-team squad.
This season, the winger has started all 23 of Arsenal’s Premier League matches so far. In the process, he has scored nine goals and supplied eight assists.
His overall record for the club at senior level reads 162 appearances, 33 goals and 37 assists. There should be many more to come in the future.
The report from the Daily Mail makes it clear that any announcement regarding Saka isn’t necessarily imminent. Indeed, it is not yet clear how long the final stages of discussions will take.
Bukayo Saka set to commit to Arsenal
But Arsenal now expect they will be able to keep hold of Saka for years to come. In turn, other suitors like Manchester City – who have been monitoring the England international, perhaps more out of hope than expectation – will be disappointed.
Instead, Saka has become convinced of Arsenal’s ability to compete towards the top. Since they currently lead the way in the Premier League standings, it has been a good time for them to prove that to him.
Furthermore, Saka is content working under the management of Mikel Arteta, who has been responsible for 142 of his 162 Arsenal outings.
Therefore, with things heading in the right direction at the Emirates Stadium, Saka seems all set to sign up. It will undoubtedly be good news for those of an Arsenal persuasion.
Other sources are confirming Saka has verbally agreed to stay at Arsenal. Fabrizio Romano, for example, has revealed his potential new deal will last until 2028, taking him towards his prime years.
Arsenal’s work will not be complete with Saka’s renewal, though. They will still have to address the future of defender William Saliba, among some other issues.
But they have dealt well with things one item at a time in recent months. And the next phase of their plan could successfully come to fruition once Saka signs his new deal.
