Arsenal set to QUADRUPLE Bukayo Saka’s wages after Arteta makes securing England star’s future his No1 priority
ARSENAL are ready to quadruple Bukayo Saka’s salary to reflect his status as one of their most important players.
The 20-year-old England star currently receives a basic wage of just £30,000-a-week, making him one of the lowest-paid players at the Emirates.
But now the club are preparing to offer him a new weekly deal worth around £125,000 to end any speculation about a summer move.
Manager Mikel Arteta has made securing Saka’s long-term future his top priority and has told the club they must keep their current Player of the Year at any price.
And that will mean a massive pay rise for the brilliant young winger who is now one of the hottest properties in English football.
Saka’s representatives have already been notified that Arsenal are ready to sit down and thrash out a new contract the moment the current season is over.
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His current agreement, which was only signed 20 months ago, still has another two years to run.
But Saka’s meteoric progress over the past two seasons has forced the club to reassess his value and hand him a deal which will put him in line with the club’s other leading stars.
Saka, who will join up with Gareth Southgate’s England squad this week despite suffering a cut ankle during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa, is more than happy to wait until the end of the current campaign to open talks.
Like Arteta, he does not want to be distracted during the season’s run-in as Arsenal look to secure a top-four finish.
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Yet even if the club misses out on Champions League qualification, the terms of the proposed new contract are unlikely to be affected.
The talks will be led by head of football operations Richard Garlick, who is under instructions from both Arteta and technical director Edu to secure a deal without any haggling.
And the club has plenty of wiggle room with its annual wage bill after the massive clear-out, which has been carried out over the past year to remove the likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian and David Luiz from the payroll.