Arsenal hopeful Saka will sign new long-term contract this week

Arsenal are hopeful Bukayo Saka will sign a new contract this week, sources at the club have confirmed to Goal.

Negotiations with the teenager winger, whose current deal is due to expire in 2021, have been ongoing for months and have moved forward dramatically in the last few weeks.

Final details are now being ironed out and Arsenal are hoping to make an official announcement that a new long-term contract has been signed in the coming days.

The news will be a massive boost to head coach Mikel Arteta, who has been desperate to keep Saka at the club amid interest from several of Europe’s top sides.

Speaking last week, the Spaniard raised hopes that a deal was imminent when asked about the future of the 18-year-old.

“I am very positive that everything is going to be done with Bukayo very shortly,” he said. “The communications between the club, agents and the family has been going on for months and are very fluent. 

“The player and family knows how much trust I have in him. He is just showing that every week and his consistency level is getting better and better.”

Arteta added: “He has a manager that has total belief in him, he has a club that really supports him and he has team-mates who adore him for who he is. 

“He’s such a nice boy, he’s very intelligent and he’s so willing to learn. He’s eager to be the best, he tries to be the best every day, and you can put him in different positions and he picks it up really quickly. 

“Every decision he makes, he takes risks. The maturity he shows on the pitch is really good.”

Saka joined Arsenal when he was seven years old and after a rapid ascent through the youth ranks, he was handed his senior debut in November 2018 by Unai Emery in the Europa League.

He made four senior appearances in 2018-19 but has been a near ever-present in the current campaign, having made 33 appearances so far – scoring three goals and setting up 11.

Saka is expected to start again on Wednesday night when the Gunners host Norwich City at Emirates Stadium.

Arteta’s side could be without Mesut Ozil (back) and David Luiz (knee) for the meeting with the Canaries, but Cedric Soares is available for selection for the first time since joining from Southampton in January.