Mikel Arteta nears new long-term Arsenal contract

Arsenal are closing in on a new long-term contract for Mikel Arteta, with the club and manager understood to be in the final stages of talks over an extension that would keep him at the Emirates Stadium beyond 2027.

According to Football Insider, former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness expects the deal to be announced during an international break, possibly before Christmas.

Arteta's current contract, signed in September 2024, has nine months left to run.

Arsenal's chief executive Richard Garlick has already described confirmation as merely a "matter of time." Journalist Graham Bailey has reported that Arteta made clear to the club over the summer he had no intention of leaving despite interest from Saudi Arabia.

He turned Arsenal from a side that had lost its Champions League place into champions of England last season for the first time in 22 years, and the club go into the new campaign as favourites to defend the title. Money is understood to be no obstacle: his current deal is worth £10m a season plus a further £5m for Champions League qualification, and the new contract would make him one of the best-paid managers in the world, potentially the highest earner in the Premier League.