RAMSDALE ON BRINK OF NEW ARSENAL DEAL
KEEPER SET FOR SIGNIFICANT PAY RISE AFTER SUPERB SEASON BUT BUYERS LINING UP IF NELSON REJECTS CONTRACT OFFER
AARON RAMSDALE is closing in on a new long-term contract with Arsenal.
The 24-year-old is set to be rewarded for his fine form this season with a significant pay rise that will reflect his status as one of the leading goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Ramsdale is said to earn around £60,000 a week and has two years left on his contract, which includes an option for Arsenal to extend the deal by a further year.
But Arsenal want to tie him down to a new long-term contract following his key role in their title push this season.
Only David De Gea has kept more clean sheets than Ramsdale in the Premier League this season and he made some vital saves in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle, which kept the Gunners on the coat-tails of leaders Manchester City. Ramsdale has also established himself as a regular in the England squad.
Arsenal are also in contract talks with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, whose contracts are due to expire at the end of next season.
The club has an agreement in principle over a new deal with Saka and the 21-year-old is expected to sign a longterm contract.
Negotiations are not as advanced with Saliba, but manager Mikel Arteta said last week he was optimistic that a deal can be struck.
“Obviously, Edu and the board are on top of every negotiation regarding new contracts and now we are doing everything we possibly can to do that in the right moment at the right time,” said Arteta.
“The communication and the relationship is super. It is about timing, I think. Nothing else.”
Arsenal are also in contract talks with winger Reiss Nelson (right), who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Nelson has been at Arsenal since the age of eight and told Standard Sport in November that he wanted to stay, but he is attracting interest from clubs in England and abroad.
AC Milan, Brighton, Fulham and West Ham are among the contenders to sign him if he leaves.
The 23-year-old came through the Arsenal academy and is a boyhood fan, but has not started a Premier League game this season.
“I have been here for so long and I’m very comfortable here. I am an Arsenal fan and, of course, I want to sign a new contract at the club,” he said in November.
Arsenal want to become regular challengers for the title and see tying down key players to new contracts as crucial to the next phase of their project under Arteta.
The Gunners are also ready to invest significantly on new signings this summer, with West Ham captain Declan Rice their No1 target.
They could target two new midfielders and also want a centre-back and a forward. Arsenal are expected to receive interest in a number of their own players this summer, including leftback Kieran Tierney and forward Folarin Balogun. Tierney is wanted by Newcastle, while Balogun is being tracked by clubs all over Europe.