Arsenal close to finalising long-term Saka deal

November 20, 2025 Oliver Obel

Arsenal are moving toward a decisive breakthrough in talks with Bukayo Saka, with the club now confident of finalising a deal that would keep the England international at the Emirates Stadium until 2030. The development marks another step in Arsenal’s push to secure their core players for the long term under Mikel Arteta.

The clearest signal yet arrived on Thursday when transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano said the agreement was “at final stages,” noting that Saka is “very close to signing a new deal at Arsenal until June 2030.”

His update, which included a photo of Saka signing documents at the Emirates, fuelled expectations that the formal announcement may not be far away.

Contract details and strategy

People with knowledge of the negotiations say the proposed contract runs for roughly four and a half years, a structure that resets Arsenal’s planning horizon and keeps Saka tied to the club well into his prime.

According to Mirror Football, Arsenal anticipated throughout the process that Saka would commit again and expect the new agreement to place him among the squad’s top earners.

Clubs typically revisit contract discussions once a player enters the final two years of their deal, aiming to avoid the final-year scenario where market leverage shifts toward the player. Arsenal appear intent on avoiding that dynamic altogether with an early renewal.

Why Saka is staying

Saka has consistently indicated he sees his future in north London, a position bolstered by the team’s competitive improvement under Arteta. Last season he reached his first Champions League semi-final and played a central role in Arsenal’s domestic title pursuits.

Speaking earlier this year, Saka made his priorities plain, saying:

“I want to win and I want to win wearing this badge… I am focused on winning.”

He added that the contract situation was “pretty relaxed,” noting that both he and the club understood each other’s intentions.

Arsenal’s wider project

The club’s progress with Saka follows soon after William Saliba agreed a long-term extension worth around £250,000 per week — a deal finalised despite outside interest, including from Real Madrid. Inside the club, officials see the pair as pillars of the squad’s next competitive cycle.

Saka, who joined Arsenal at the age of seven, is approaching 300 senior appearances and has accumulated a growing list of accolades: two Arsenal Player of the Year awards, two England Player of the Year honours, and the 2023 PFA Young Player of the Year trophy.

What comes next

Arsenal aim to complete the paperwork before the end of the year, though the exact timing of an announcement remains fluid. Those around the club believe the team is on the verge of major success, and securing Saka long-term is viewed as essential to sustaining the project’s momentum.

If his trajectory continues, Saka will enter his mid-twenties as one of the most sought-after footballers in Europe — a reality Arsenal hope to manage from a position of stability rather than uncertainty.

Sources: Mirror Football, Fabrizio Romano