Buyako Saka's Arsenal and England team-mate Aaron Ramsdale is confident the 21-year-old will remain in north London "for a long time".
Saka is under contract with the Gunners until 2024 after the club triggered an option on his deal, but is on the verge of signing a long-term extension. An agreement in principle is reported to be in place, though Arsenal could take some time to confirm the new deal publicly.
The forward produced another impressive display on Wednesday, delivering a goal and an assist as Mikel Arteta's team beat Everton 4-0. He is already up to 10 goals in the league this season, just one shy of the career-best tally he set last term, while only Kevin De Bruyne has more Premier League assists in the current campaign.
"Bukayo is an Arsenal player and will be for a long time," Ramsdale told Goal after the midweek victory. The result sent Arteta's men five points clear of closest challengers Manchester City at the top of the league table.
“If he had one week left I wouldn't be worried about him being here. If he had until the end of the season, I would still see him here on the first day of pre-season.
“I'm fairly relaxed with Bukayo, let him crack on with his team and the club sort it out and then we move forward. It [the contract situation] is obviously not affecting him, that is why he is not rushing into anything and when it does settle we know we have him for longer than we do at the minute."
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Saka's new deal would just be the latest in a run of recent extensions for the north London side. Gabriel Martinelli has committed his future to the club until 2027, while the Gunners' longest-serving player Mohamed Elneny has extended his stay until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has expressed his hope that William Saliba follows his team-mates in agreeing fresh terms. The France international is under contract until 2024, but a longer-term extension could be on the cards after his impressive form since returning from a loan spell at Marseille.
"You look at him [Saliba] now, the way he has started the season and the way he plays, It's fantastic," Wright said. "He's a full international off the back of it.
"People talking about Saka signing a new deal, and we know how much we need Saka. I don’t think there was any real problems with that happening because of his connection with the club.
"But I think all the eggs need to go in the Saliba basket. We have got to make sure we keep this guy."
