Arsenal have reportedly secured the long-term future of Bukayo Saka. The Englishman has penned a new deal at the club, keeping him at the club until 2031.
According to a report in BBC Sport, Saka has signed a 5-year deal at Arsenal. The winger had less than 18 months left on his current contract and the club had been in talks over a new deal for over a year.
The report states that the Englishman will earn over £300,000 per week with his deal at the club. He was urged to pen the contract by Mikel Arteta earlier this season, following the extension of William Saliba and Gabriel. He said:
"I would love that. From everything that I know, he is a player that is extremely happy, and proud to have the role that he has at the football club. Things will develop in a natural way, like they always do, and everyone knows how important Bukayo is for us. Hopefully we can do it."
Saka has been with the Gunners since his youth days and has played 296 matches for the first team since making his debut in 2018, coming off the bench in the UEFA Europa League match against Vorskla Poltava.
Bukayo Saka might be set for new role at Arsenal
Bukayo Saka was forced to play in a central role in Arsenal's FA Cup win over Wigan earlier this week. The Englishman was added to the starting XI after Riccardo Calafiori got injured in warm-up and Mikel Arteta used him in a different role with Noni Madueke playing on the right wing.
Speaking to the media after the match, Arteta confirmed that he wanted to try Saka in the central role and said (via club website):
"That’s something that’s a possibility and I wanted to try it, and we might use it in the future. There are still so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play in this season, and that’s a possibility that we have."
When asked if he was planning to use Saka centrally even more from now, he added:
"Well, he's more central, he's closer to the goal. It's a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange positions with a wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces. When he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball."
Saka has one FA Cup medal to his name, along with two FA Community Shields, since making his debut for Arsenal.