Mikel Arteta believes it is ‘only a matter of time’ before Declan Rice signs a new contract with Arsenal after insisting that the midfielder wants to stay at the club.

Rice has been a key figure for Arsenal since his record €116 million signing from West Ham in 2023, with the 27-year-old being named the club’s player of the season for the last two years running.

FootballTransfers was told in September that Arsenal were on the verge of striking an agreement with Rice after he entered the last two years of his contract, having used the previous international break to finalise details.

And Arteta has now confirmed that Rice is ready to commit his future to the club, with the Arsenal boss praising the England international for his consistent performances.

“My feeling is that he’s very happy here, in every conversation I have with him, and he wants to continue here for the long term,” Arteta said. “It will be a matter of time before we sort that.”

He added: “He’s been very consistent again,” he said. “What we are demanding him to do every year is very difficult to maintain. He’s doing it, a big credit to him.”

Rice ready to follow Arteta and Saka in committing future to Arsenal

Only Gabriel and goalkeeper David Raya have played more minutes for Arsenal than Rice this season and the ex-West Ham star currently has the joint-most assists of any player in the Premier League with four.

Rice is set to pen improved terms that will put him in the same bracket as Arsenal’s current top earner Bukayo Saka, having also recently seen Arteta sign a new long-term contract at the Emirates.

Rice told Viaplay last month that Arteta's contract extension made him want to stay at the club, saying: "Yeah, of course. I think for sure, I've been so happy playing for Arsenal over the last few years.

"[It's] probably the happiest I've been playing football so yeah, it's been amazing and the journey has been great so far. Last year, obviously winning the Premier League was one of the happiest moments of my career. So yeah, for sure, let's continue this."