Arsenal have reportedly open talks with Declan Rice to extend his contract and the 27-year-old is in line for a bumper pay rise.
Rice has been utterly pivotal to Arsenal’s success since joining three years ago and, as a result, the club are keen to see him commit the peak years of his career to them.
As things stand, the English midfielder’s deal at the Emirates Stadium expires in the summer of 2028 and there is also an option to extend by 12 months.
That said, the process of extending his stay in north London is underway as Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport has claimed that talks have been initiated by club higher-ups.
Declan Rice new contract? Arsenal open talks with midfielder
Reportedly, Rice’s current deals sees him take home £240,000-per-week – which is less than what his compatriot Bukayo Saka (£300,000-per-week) earns.
The Premier League leaders – and boss Mikel Arteta particularly – have been keen to tie down their best players to new contracts in recent times and Rice is next on their radar.
Rice’s new offer, according to journalist Mokbel, will include a pay increase that will see him become one of the club’s highest-earning players.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “Exc: Arsenal open talks to extend Declan Rice’s contact. Approach to commence formal talks made. Dialogue at an early stage. Midfielder has up to three years to run on his current deal so no rush to complete but process now underway.”
At the time of writing, any discussions are ‘at an early stage’ and no concrete timeline has been set for a deal to be struck between the club and the ex-West Ham United captain.
Signing for £105 million in 2023, there were very few people who could foresee Rice having such a tangible impact on the Gunners – but they were quickly shown the talent he possesses.
Declan Rice’s reputation as one of the best midfielders continues to grow
Even when at West Ham, Rice had a reputation. He was playing for a club outside the traditional top six but he had all the tools to become a world-beating midfielder.
And that has now happened.
Able to whip a ball on a six pence but also combative and progressive in the middle of the park, Declan Rice has established himself among the very best in his position in world football.
| Metric | Output | Squad rank |
| Minutes | 2495 | 1st |
| Pass success rate (%) | 87.7 | 9th |
| Tackles per match | 1.9 | 2nd= |
| Key passes per match | 1.9 | 1st= |
| Interceptions per match | 1 | 2nd= |
| Overall rating | 7.33 | 1st |
Thus far, the defender-turned-midfielder has accrued 102 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League – but Arteta is evidently keen to see that tally increase tenfold.
An all-rounder for his side following the arrival of Martin Zubimendi last summer, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more important player at Arteta’s disposal.
