Bukayo Saka has agreed a new contract with Mikel Arteta hoping five more Arsenal stars extend their stay at Emirates Stadium
11:11, 10 Jan 2026
Arsenal players during a game
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Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber could all soon join Bukayo Saka in agreeing new Arsenal deals(Image: (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))
Arsenal have already set plans in motion for more contract talks with star players after reaching an agreement on a new deal for Bukayo Saka. The 24-year-old is set to sign a five-year contract with improved terms on his current deal which was set to expire in June 2027, as per The Athletic.
Saka has been marketed as Arsenal's franchise player with that to be reflected in this agreement which almost certainly includes a bumper salary. However, he is of course not the only player of great importance to Mikel Arteta with the Gunners boss keen for sporting director Andrea Berta to work his magic again.
Alongside a very fruiftul first transfer window at the club, Berta successfully helped negotiate new contracts for William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Saka was the first priority to join that list with football.london reporting that the club are keen to also agree extensions for Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. The latter sees his current deal expire in the summer of 2028, but there is an option to extend that by a further 12 months.
Further details on contract talks for Arsenal stars have been provided by The Times with their latest report claiming that the club have moved closer to a new deal for Timber.
It has also been stated that discussions with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, David Raya and Mikel Merino - who all see their current contract expire in 2028 - are being planned.
It is not just key players entering contract season with Arteta currently set to see the three-year deal he signed in 2024 expire next year. Last month, the Spaniard was asked about renewing and hinted winning this season's Premier League title will help earn the right to stay.
He said: "A lot of things have to happen in the next few months, as well, to earn the right. I think the manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow.
“That is how you react, how you talk here, how you go in the dressing room, the message that you send, how much the players follow you.
"I always said that you need support, I said it before. From the ownership and the board, it’s great. At the end, the most important one is those players.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reacts
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Mikel Arteta has spoken about potentially signing a new contract with Arsenal(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
"You open that door, you confront them, you talk to them and they are like this (mimes being open-mouthed) or they are like this (mimes sleeping).
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"And for six years, I have seen just players with a level of attention and desire to learn, and give the maximum to the team. That is what keeps me in this job. Nothing else.
"And, obviously, winning a lot of football matches that, percentage-wise, I think is quite high. That is the only way. If not, you cannot survive in this environment."
The Gunners are currently on course to lift domestic silverware in May as they sit top of the Premier League table and six points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City.