Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has reportedly reached an agreement in principle over a new five-year deal with the Gunners worth a staggering £200,000 per week.
The 21-year-old has once again started the season as an integral part of Mikel Arteta's side, producing one goal and four assists in eight Premier League appearances.
Upon becoming a first-team regular in 2020, Saka signed a new long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2024, but he is yet to extend those terms.
Given Arsenal's recent failures to qualify for the Champions League, Manchester City and Liverpool are both said to have been monitoring Saka's situation in North London.
However, there has been optimism surrounding a new deal for Saka for a while now, and according to Football Insider, it is now just a matter of time before an extension is announced.
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The report claims that Saka and Arsenal have come to an agreement in principle over a £200k-per-week contract, which will bring the 21-year-old in line with the club's highest earners in Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus.
The England international is supposedly set to put pen to paper on a new long-term deal until the end of the 2026-27 season, and he has been convinced to extend his stay given the Gunners' upturn in fortunes under Mikel Arteta.
There have been claims that Arsenal could include a release clause in Saka's deal if they continue to go without Champions League football, but it is unknown whether the agreement includes such a stipulation.
Since breaking into the first team as a teenager, Saka has amassed 24 goals and 33 assists in 140 outings for the North London club in all tournaments, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in the process.
Arteta commented on the possibility of a new deal for Saka back in August and insisted that he was "very confident" about a positive solution, telling the press: "I am very confident that we as a club, Bukayo and his family and agent are all aligned. Now it's about putting that on a piece of paper.
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"I would like that to get done because I don't want players to be distracted in the season. But these things take time."
Saka himself affirmed that he was also on the same page as Arteta regarding a long-term stay, claiming that he feels "loved" and "at home" at the Emirates Stadium.
"Yes, I share his [Arteta's] confidence. I feel like the manager's always there for me. He knows when to speak to me, it's not too much but it's not too little and the different bits of advice he gives me are special and it makes such a difference," Saka told the press.
"I really feel at home here. I really feel the love from my team-mates, my coaches and the fans as well. I really feel loved here."
Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba are expected to be next in line for improved deals after Saka's extension is taken care of, with Chelsea said to be keeping a close eye on the former.
Meanwhile, Saliba - who is also out of contract in the summer of 2024 - has confirmed that contract talks are underway following his breakthrough season in North London.
Ben Knapton
