Arsenal on the brink of completing three huge contracts for stars: report
Arsenal are close to completing three major contracts for squad members.
The Gunners are already planning for next season, with new midfielders being targeted – but manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar are both reportedly keen to tie key stars down for even longer. Arsenal’s wage bill has been drastically reduced in recent seasons with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all leaving, leaving a void of earners raking in upwards of £200,000 a week.
Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey are the only two players rumoured to be earning that much money at the Emirates Stadium – but now, Bukayo Saka could join them.
talkSPORT (opens in new tab) are claiming that the England international will earn £300,000 a week on his new deal – though this is unconfirmed and may not be the base salary.
Saka’s extension is expected to run until 2028, giving him another five years at the club that he broke through at as an academy graduate. According to football.london (opens in new tab), Aaron Ramsdale and William Saliba will both follow suit.
Goalkeeper Ramsdale has been a huge hit between the sticks since arriving in the 2021 summer transfer window from Sheffield United and has been integral to Arsenal’s title push in recent weeks with stunning performances away to the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United.
Saliba, meanwhile, has missed the run-in with a back injury but after returning from three successive loans in Ligue 1, has cemented his place as one of the most impressive young centre-backs on the continent with assured and dominant displays at the heart of the north Londoners’ backline.
Football.london mention in their report that a number of other stars could well leave this summer, with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Reiss Nelson and Folarin Balogun all attracting interest from elsewhere.
The Gunners sit second in the table with just three matches remaining in the Premier League.
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Arsenal are already being linked with a host of big names ahead of a season back in the Champions League.
Mason Mount is an option in midfield, with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic and Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby rumoured in the attack. Both Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Crystal Palace star Wilf Zaha are on the radar, too. Younger stars are interesting the Gunners, too: Vitor Roque might end up at the Emirates, while Flamengo’s Matheus Franca is being watched.
Meanwhile, cult hero Mathieu Flamini has refused to rule out a move to buy Arsenal.
