Bukayo Saka has committed his future to Arsenal by agreeing a new and improved five-year deal.
Saka was tied down until June 2027 but talks have been taking place about an extension and fresh terms are now in the process of being finalised.
They will secure the 24-year-old England winger to the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2031, in what comes as a huge boost to Mikel Arteta’s men.
Saka would be wanted by the biggest clubs in world football if he was gettable, but they knew he was only interested in staying at his boyhood side.
The latest deal will be at a level that recognises his standing as one of the leading players in the Premier League and Europe, while he will also occupy a key role for his country at the 2026 World Cup.
Saka has again been crucial for Arsenal this season (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
Saka is a product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy having joined the club at the age of seven. Since making his debut in 2018 he has grown into becoming a crucial figure in Arteta’s attack and a player the club are intent on building around.
The new deal will follow the agreements reached by William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in recent months.
Saka has been a pivotal figure in Arsenal’s Premier League title challenges in recent seasons. He scored 20 goals and assisted 14 (in all competitions) in 2023/24 as Arsenal finished two points behind Manchester City. In 2022/23, he scored 15 and assisted 11.
Last season Saka made some vital contributions as Arsenal initially kept within reach of leaders Liverpool. A hamstring issue sustained in December, however, added to an extensive list of first-team injuries as Arteta’s side fell away.
This year he has seven goals in 27 games with Arsenal leading the way at the top of the Premier League alongside a perfect six-from-six record in the Champions League league phase.
Saka has made more than 250 appearances for Arsenal in total, recording 77 goals and 78 assists. He has also become a regular figure for England, earning 48 caps.
‘Arsenal’s best signing of the season’
Analysis by Dan Sheldon
This is brilliant news for Arsenal and the club’s fans.
Saka, aged only 24, is only going to keep improving and will now be at Arsenal for what should be considered to be the prime years of his career.
In October, he became the seventh-youngest player to reach 100 Premier League goals and assists combined, highlighting just how important he is to Arteta’s side.
By sorting out Saka’s future before he entered the last year of his original deal, Arsenal have avoided any potential headaches as he would undoubtedly have been of interest to the biggest teams in Europe.
Saka has continually shown he can deliver for Arsenal and England, establishing himself as one of the best players in the Premier League and on the international stage, and you could form an argument that this is the club’s best signing of the season due to how important he is.
It could prove to be an exceptional second half to the season for Saka, with Arsenal favourites to lift the Premier League title, ending a more than two-decade wait, and with England expected to perform well at the World Cup later this year.
And should Arsenal fend off the challenges from Manchester City and Aston Villa, then Saka is going to have played a crucial part in them doing so.
It is difficult to overstate just how important this piece of business is from Arsenal’s perspective.