The two players Arsenal expect to sign new contracts once Declan Rice puts pen to paper

Arsenal are carrying on with their work behind the scenes to tie down key players to new contracts.

Declan Rice is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal to extend his stay in North London after playing such a key role in helping the Gunners to both the Premier League title and Champions League final.

The England is already one of the club’s top earners and is expected to get a further increase on his salary, while also committing to more years at The Emirates.

However, Arsenal are not stopping with Rice and according to reports today, expect to push on with two more new deals alongside Rice.

Keeping the best players at the club is key for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta. Put simply, the Gunners cannot afford to let players run down contracts and thus lose them for less than they’re worth down the line.

With Rice all but signing on the dotted line now, the Gunners are keen for others to follow and now want both Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber to follow suit.

Timber and Odegaard both have time on their contracts anyway – 2028 – but Arsenal are keen to get both players tied down further while the club is being successful.

At the moment, Odegaard is among the top earners at the club but still behind the likes of Saka and Havertz. Timber, meanwhile, earns around the £120,000-a-week mark, meaning he is well down the list in terms of Arsenal’s top earners.

With both players happy at the club, Arsenal will expect both deals to be easy to conclude.

From there, the club can then focus on other contracts and crucially, strengthening the squad in January if necessary.