Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Declan Rice's new Arsenal contract is close to being ratified, in a boost for the Premier League champions. The England international is set to commit his prime years to the Gunners, just weeks after Arteta signed fresh terms until the summer of 2030.
When asked whether he expects Arsenal to extend Rice's deal, Arteta replied: "Yes, my feeling is that he is very happy here. Every conversation I have with him, he wants to continue here for the long term and it will be a matter of time when we resolve that."
Rice's salary set to rise
Rice recently told Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay that Arteta's contract extension made him want to stay even longer in north London amid productive discussions. His new contract is expected to be worth up to £350,000 per week in wages including bonuses, placing him in the same bracket as top-earner Bukayo Saka.
The £105 million signing looks set to bank a notable salary increase worth upwards of £100,000-a-week. Arsenal recently told club staff that 60 jobs were at risk due to a ruthless cost-cutting review.
Arteta praises midfielder's consistency
Arteta added on his star midfielder, whom he previously nicknamed The Lighthouse due to his ability to sniff out danger: "I think he has been very consistent again. What we demand from him every year is very difficult to do and difficult to maintain. He is doing it and big credit to him.
"You have big players for big matches. We know the kind of performance we want from Dec and the rest of the boys to get away from there with three points."
Fitness and future plans
Rice is expected to be ready to start for Arsenal at Anfield today after missing the shock Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat at Fleetwood Town. He was spotted holding his right hamstring in the final stages of last weekend's 2-0 win over Everton but trained as normal on Friday at London Colney.
Kai Havertz is thought to be next in line for a new contract, while mystery over Martin Odegaard's long-term future lingers. Odegaard's existing terms expire in 2028 and so far, there has been no concrete intel that Arsenal are actively trying to extend his contract.
