Mikel Arteta sends clear message to Guardiola over proposed Arsenal swap deal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is confident Bukayo Saka's contract extension at the club is a matter of time despite reported interest from Manchester City.

The Premier League champions are said to be on the lookout for a replacement for forward Raheem Sterling, who joined Chelsea in a £50million transfer including add-ons earlier this month. Saka is said to have emerged as a target for Pep Guardiola's side due to his versatility in attack.

It comes amid Arsenal's hopes of signing City's utility player Oleksandr Zinchenko - the Ukraine international has predominantly played at left-back for Guardiola's side but is also capable of operating in midfield.

The 20-year-old has gone from strength to strength at the North London club in recent seasons but his last contract extension came in the summer of 2020 and he has less than two years remaining on his deal at the Emirates. 18 months is generally seen as the tipping point in power from the club to the player when it comes to contract extensions in football.

The Gunners may well be wary of his contractual situation having lost a series of their top-performing players for cut-price deals over the years due to entering the final part of their contracts without renewing.

However, Arsenal boss Arteta has rejected talk that Saka has any plans to leave the club and is confident that he will put pen to paper on a new deal in North London. It is the clearest indication yet that the England international intends to remain at the Gunners for the long term.

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Speaking after his side's pre-season win over Everton in Baltimore in the early hours of Sunday morning, Arteta explained when asked about Saka's contract situation: "We will try and we both have the same intention and it's a matter of time."

Saka is represented by the same agency that represents both Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah. Both of those fellow Arsenal academy graduates were the subject of lengthy contract sagas that ended up with both players getting the kind of wages they wanted.

Having made 131 first-team appearances for the club since his debut in the 2018-19 campaign, Saka has now established himself as a star at the club - a far cry from his status in the dressing room when he last penned a contract extension two years ago.

The exits of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil have helped established the 20-year-old as a key attacking star for the club with his contract renewal viewed as crucial to Arsenal's long-term plans.