Declan Rice has as good as told Arsenal fans that his new contract is done. Asked about his future while away with England, the midfielder said a new deal will “hopefully be arriving soon”, and the numbers being talked about would make him the best-paid player at the club.
Rice is still on the terms he signed when he joined from West Ham for £105m in 2023, and that deal runs until the summer of 2028. Arsenal have made an extension a priority for months, and Mikel Arteta hinted earlier this month that it was close.
His words this weekend are the clearest sign yet that the paperwork is the only thing left.
What did Declan Rice say about his Arsenal contract?
Speaking to reporters before England’s Nations League game against Spain in Madrid on Sunday, Rice kept it short: “A new contract will hopefully be arriving soon.”
Players do not usually say that unless the main terms are agreed. Talks have been moving since October, and nothing he said suggests any late problem. The question now is when Arsenal announce it, not whether.
How much will Rice earn?
Rice is reported to earn around £260,000 a week now. The new deal is expected to take him to about £350,000 a week, which would put him above Bukayo Saka, who is believed to be on around £300,000.
That would be a club record, and it is worth pausing on. For years Arsenal’s wage structure was built around keeping the biggest earners in check after the Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deals went wrong. Paying Rice more than anyone else tells you exactly where he sits in this squad.
Is he worth it?
The numbers make the case. Rice has 22 goals and 36 assists in 173 Arsenal appearances, 58 goal involvements from a player who was signed as a holding midfielder. He started 35 Premier League games in last season’s title win, and this season he has a goal and five assists in 15 matches.
But the stats only tell half of it. Arteta has spoken about not wanting to “restrict his qualities”, and that is the point: Rice protects the defence, carries the ball through midfield, presses, takes set pieces and turns up in the box. Very few players in Europe do all of that at this level, week after week, and stay fit.
What it means for Arsenal’s other contracts
Rice is one of several first-team players whose deals Arsenal want to sort out. Martin Odegaard has said there have been no contract talks yet despite Bayern Munich watching, and there is uncertainty around Martin Zubimendi, whose name keeps coming up in talk of a move back to Spain.
Getting Rice done first is the right order. He is 27, he is at his peak, and he is the player the midfield is built around. Once his deal is announced, the club’s attention can move to the captain, and to how they manage Saka, whose injury record is now a real concern.
Verdict: Rice’s new deal is the easiest call Arsenal will make
Some fans will flinch at £350,000 a week. They shouldn’t. Arsenal paid £105m for Rice in 2023, and since then he has been the most consistent player in a side that won the league. Tying him down for the long term protects that investment and sends a message to everyone else in the dressing room: this is a club that keeps its best players.
If anything, the timing is a bonus. Announcing it during the title defence, with Arsenal five points clear, keeps the focus on the pitch. Expect the club to confirm it soon after the international break.
