Arsenal are ‘confident’ that star winger Bukayo Saka is ‘going absolutely nowhere’ despite the speculation surrounding his future, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.
The 21-year-old has entered the final 18 months of his current £70,000-per-week contract, and a couple of Premier League heavyweights have been credited with an interest in his services as a result.
Arsenal news – Bukayo Saka
Arsenal recently activated clauses to extend the contracts of both Saka and William Saliba’s deals by an extra year while negotiations over new long-term contracts continue.
Fabrizio Romano has since stated that talks with the duo and Gabriel Martinelli, who was in an identical situation before committing his future to the club, are ‘very positive’.
“Talks are ongoing with Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba,” wrote Romano in a column for CaughtOffside last month.
“All discussions are very positive, but it will be time to get deals signed this year. Timing is up to club and player, could be any moment or months.”
However, back in June, the Daily Mail claimed that both Manchester City and Liverpool were closely monitoring Saka’s situation after earmarking him as a potential future target.
What has Jones said about Saka?
Jones has disclosed that he doesn’t believe the core of Arsenal’s squad are set to depart anytime soon but that teams will be circling for Saka if there’s ‘any sign of discontent’.
Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know
In an interview with GMS, he said: “The core of that squad are going absolutely nowhere; Arsenal are confident that they're not.
“Someone like Saka, they know that the vultures will be circling if there's any sign of discontent or any sign of him becoming available.”
How well has Saka been playing?
Saka has been in impressive form for Arsenal so far this season, registering eight goals and seven assists in 27 appearances for the Premier League pace-setters.
As per FBref, the versatile attacker has also ranked in the 89th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area, 86th for shot-creating actions, and 80th for progressive passes received and clearances amongst his positional peers over the last year.
The England international has played a pivotal part in Arsenal’s surprise charge for the top-flight title, and the capital club will surely be desperate to retain his services.
Now the January transfer window is over, tying their existing stars down to fresh terms is likely to take precedence for the Arsenal hierarchy, meaning some movement should come sooner rather than later.