At Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s plans for continuity are gathering pace around the figures who have shaped their rise. Mikel Arteta has agreed a new deal through to 2030, and the club are now close to securing another major commitment from Declan Rice.
Talks over an improved contract for the England midfielder began in March and have reached an advanced stage. Rice’s present agreement runs until 2028, but Arsenal’s hierarchy want to remove any uncertainty over the future of one of the team’s central players.
The 27-year-old arrived in north London from West Ham in July 2023, in a transfer worth €116.6 million. Since then, he has started more than 150 matches for Arsenal and become one of the leading names in a side that has won the Premier League.
A substantial pay rise is expected to form part of the proposed extension. Rice currently earns around €281,000 per week, with the new terms set to bring him level with Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s highest-paid player on approximately €410,000 weekly.
Rice’s importance also extends beyond club football. He has collected 80 England caps and scored eight international goals, while national-team coach Thomas Tuchel has described him as among Europe’s finest midfielders. For Arsenal, retaining that influence well beyond the current 2028 end date would follow Arteta’s renewal with another clear statement about the core of their project.
