Arsenal are set to start formal talks with Bukayo Saka over a brand new contract.
Mikel Arteta is primed to take a position heavily this summer in a squad that appears set to complete as Premier League runners-up for a 3rd season in a row.
Having kept their powder dry in January, Arsenal are set to arm their manager with an enormous war chest in an effort to overhaul Liverpool and stay ahead of the chasing pack.
While a brand new striker and a midfielder are certain to be earmarked as priorities, retaining the services of his key players represents an equally essential task.
Saka penned his last deal in the summertime of 2022, but he’ll little doubt be pushing for a raise on his current £10million-a-year salary after he made such an excellent begin to the present season.
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The likes of Manchester City were monitoring Saka’s situation the last time his future was a matter of conjecture and interest in a player who has firmly established himself as one in every of Europe’s best wingers will only intensify should he opt to run his contract into its final 12 months.
Arsenal will try to head off a potentially disastrous situation by commencing negotiations as soon as possible, in accordance with the BBC, and can feel confident of a positive resolution.
Saka’s immediate priority, meanwhile, centres on ending his rehabilitation ahead of his eagerly anticipated return from injury.
The 23-year-old underwent surgery after tearing his hamstring against Crystal Palace in November and has been sorely missed by his team whose attacking options have been decimated for the reason that turn of the yr.
Saka has been working diligently on his return and it’s hoped he’ll find a way to make his comeback following the international break when Arsenal tackle Fulham on the Emirates on 1 April.
Every week on from that game, Arsenal welcome Real Madrid to north London for the primary leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The return leg follows every week later in Madrid with a house game against Brentford separating the 2 fixtures.
With a lot of the Arsenal squad set to go off on international duty after the weekend, Saka will step up the ultimate stages of his rehabilitation before returning to full first-team training.
‘He’s going to be here [at the Arsenal training ground], hopefully more with ball at his feet than he has had,’ said Arteta.
‘That can mean he’s passing the ball and shooting and running and all the pieces. He has done quite loads already on the pitch working on his own.
‘Next we want to rearrange it with people around him in a more competitive training session and see how he goes with that.
‘He’s getting closer, he’s stepping up and making a excellent progress I might say. So, let’s see after we begin to throw him in with the team, how he reacts and the way fit he can get quickly.’
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