Bukayo Saka has signed a new, long-term deal with Arsenal to remain at his boyhood club until 2027. England star Saka has been in negotiations with the Gunners for several months.

The winger, 21, has grown to become an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s side and his performances have made him one of the most sought-after players in European football.

Manchester City were among a host of clubs monitoring Saka’s future as talks dragged on.  But the England international has now committed his future to Arsenal and become one of the club’s highest earners.

The deal is understood to be – inclusive of bonuses and other attached payments – close to £15 million, taking his weekly wage to around £300,000-per-week. Saka is among a group of young players whom Arsenal have worked to tie down this season.

Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes penned new contracts earlier in the year, while goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale announced his extension last week. Talks over a new deal for William Saliba go on.

Arsenal had already triggered an extension in Saka’s previous contract, tying him down for a further 12 months to 2024. But this news comes as a huge boost for Arteta’s side, who have seen their title hopes evaporate in recent weeks. Saka’s deal had been due to run out in 2024, but has now signed for until 2027.

In his announcement video, he said: “It takes time. This club has been a family to me since I was eight years old. It’s given me everything and I’m giving everything back. I know how much we can achieve together. Time is on our side.”

He has been in superb form for Arsenal scoring 14 goals and registering 11 assists across all competitions. His partnership with Gabriel Martinelli has been a huge factor in Arsenal’s return to the Champions League after a five-year absence.

The 21-year-old played his part in filling in for the injured Gabriel Jesus during a key period in the Gunners’ quest to lift the Premier League title. Saka was also part of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad to represent England at the Qatar World Cup, scoring three times as they reached the quarter-final stage.

But his form for Arsenal has been a huge plus for boss Mikel Arteta who has seen Saka mature into a top-level player this season.

“He loves responsibility and he puts a lot on his shoulders,” said the Gunners boss. “If he had any doubt about how people love him, respect him and admire him at the club he has a very overwhelmed reaction.”

Saka broke into the Arsenal first-team picture in 2018 and has since gone on to make a total of 178 appearances for the club.

Upon confirmation of the new contract, Saka shared his delight at extending his stay at the “beautiful club”.

“I’m just really happy, I’m at the right place to make the next step. It’s a beautiful club and I’m just so happy,” Saka began.  “When I was at the Academy at Hale End, I was just a kid who wanted to play and enjoy, and obviously as you get older it gets more and more serious.  It’s been a great journey with lots of hard work and I just kept that drive in me. When I made my first team debut, that’s when I really realised like ‘oh my gosh, I’ve really done it’. I’ve achieved that dream and its now about staying here and maintaining that.”

Saka added that although it ‘hurt a lot’ to think about the end of this season, he had seen ‘a lot of positive change’ during his time in the first team. 

“One thing I can say is since the last two, three years I’ve been playing, I’ve seen this team and the club grow and we are going in the right direction,” he added.

“The supporters have been so good this year. Even when I see supporters out and away from the stadium, we have so much in common in terms of how passionate we are for this team. I feel like some of the supporters I meet, if they could play, they would give everything, I can see it in their eyes when we are speaking. We are all really connecting more and you can feel it in the stadium”.

The winger reserved high praise for both his manager Mike Arteta and the club’s sporting director, Edu, highlighting the belief that both men have had in him.

“Mikel really cares about the players on a personal level. As a player you really connect with him.  Personally, Mikel has been so good for me. Since he’s come in I’ve improved so much and I’m so grateful to him. Edu is great and is the person who helped me get my number 7. I couldn’t believe it, he just said, yeah, ok, we can give it to you of course,” Saka said.

“Those are one of those moments where I realised how much everyone at this club believed in me. It was such a nice moment,” he added.

• A Tell / Daily Mail / TalkSport report