Fabrizio Romano looking on before a Bayer Leverkusen game
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Arsenal have been busy securing their future over the past few weeks.
Mikel Arteta signed a new deal to stay at the club until June 2030, and attention has since turned to keeping the core of his title-winning squad together.
Attention has since turned to tying down their most important players, and at the forefront of that focus is Declan Rice. Talks have been going on for months, and Hand of Arsenal recently explained that the delay came down to it being one of the biggest player contracts in the club’s history. Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, the end is in sight.
Declan Rice set to ‘put pen to paper soon’ on new Arsenal deal
In a video posted on X, Romano said that Arsenal “are advancing very well to keep at the club for the long term one of the crucial faces, one of the crucial players of this team, Declan Rice.”
“The agreement between Arsenal and Rice over new deal is getting to the final stages,” he added. “Now the salary agreement is almost there, working on the length of the contract, on the final details, but Arsenal are very optimistic to get it done and to have Declan Rice as part of their long-term project, considered as a crucial player, loved by everyone at the club, not only the fans but also the directors, the coach, the teammates.”
That’s a step on from what BBC Sport reported earlier this month, when talks were described as being at an advanced stage. It is also said that Rice, who currently earns around £240,000 a week, is set to see his wages rise to around £350,000, putting him level with Bukayo Saka as one of the club’s highest earners. If the salary is now almost agreed, it’s only the length of the deal to be ironed out.
Rice joined from West Ham for a club-record £105million in 2023, and his current contract runs until 2028, with the option of a further year. There was never any real urgency, and those close to him have always said he’s very happy at the club.
He showed exactly why he’s so valued on Sunday, making a vital late block to protect Arsenal’s lead at Nottingham Forest. The Gunners will need Rice at his best again in the huge Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.