Declan Rice to become Arsenal's joint best paid player – but still earns less than Mikel Arteta

Rice to sign new deal worth £350k-a-week, matching Saka as Arsenal's joint-highest earner; Arteta expects talks to be finalised soon.

Declan Rice is close to agreeing a contract extension with Arsenal after talks began at the start of the year. The England midfielder, who joined the Gunners for £105m in 2023, is currently in the final two years of his deal and will see his wages rise significantly from £240,000-a-week to around £350,000-a-week if the new terms are confirmed. This would make him joint-highest paid at the club alongside Bukayo Saka, though manager Mikel Arteta still earns more with a basic salary of £20m-per-year (approximately £384,000-a-week). Arteta expressed confidence the extension would be resolved soon, saying Rice is "very happy" and "wants to continue here for the long term." Rice has started all eight of Arsenal's Premier League games this season and will feature in Sunday's trip to Liverpool.