Saka Set for Contract Renewal with Pay Rise; Arsenal to Launch Talks with Timber/Rice Simultaneously

Since the end of last season, Arsenal’s clear strategy in renewing contracts with the club’s key players has been just as crucial to their development into a formidable and unbeatable side.

Arsenal has already secured the futures of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães this summer. Currently, the club’s plan to sign Bukayo Saka to a new long-term contract is progressing, and as expectations of the two parties finally reaching an agreement grow, the renewal process is advancing increasingly smoothly.

Renewing Saka’s contract is no less important to the club than any of the seven summer signings.

In recent months, Saka, as a key member of the team's leadership group, has been undeniably important to Mikel Arteta. Meanwhile, he has stood in as team captain on multiple occasions during Martin Ødegaard’s absences.

Naturally, Arsenal’s emphasis on Saka is equally evident—he is already among the club’s highest earners, and sources suggest that once the renewal is confirmed, he will be one of Arsenal’s top earners.

In fact, securing Saka’s long-term future may be the most important work done by Sporting Director Andrea Berta since he took office in April.

However, Saka’s contract is not the only one up for renewal. The club has already begun negotiating a new deal with defender Jurriën Timber.

After missing almost the entire 2023-24 season (his first at the club) due to a serious knee injury, the Dutch international has become a regular starter under Arteta, and Arsenal hopes to reward the defender with a lucrative contract.

Similarly, Arsenal will soon turn their attention to Declan Rice’s future. The English midfielder currently has more than two years left on his contract, but given his status in Arteta’s team, Arsenal aims to avoid any uncertainty.