Arsenal are set to open formal contract talks with academy graduate Bukayo Saka as he approaches the final two years of his existing deal, according to the BBC.
Manchester City were keen on signing the 23-year-old Gunners star before he signed his current contract in 2022, and the bigwigs across Europe will be monitoring his situation over the coming months.
Saka will be out of contract at Arsenal at the end of 2026-27, but talks over a long-term deal are expected to progress well going forward.
The attacker has established himself as one of the most important players at the North London club in recent seasons, with his absence since last December due to injury dealing a huge blow on their title chances.
Arsenal are hoping Saka can return to action after the ongoing international break, and rewarding him with an improved deal will be the deserved and necessary thing to do given his performances in recent campaigns.
Being a Hale End graduate, remaining with the Gunners would be very appealing to the Englishman, but the club must be willing to offer him terms most of the bigwigs on the continent will be willing to give him if they want to keep him.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has led the club to consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League and going one better this term could prove tricky as 12 points currently separate them from leaders Liverpool after 29 games.
The Spaniard will need to bolster his squad in subsequent transfer windows and hold on to Saka and other key players going forward to boost the chances of the club in the title races to come, and a new deal for the attacker will be huge.
