Mikel Arteta has stated that Declan Rice putting pen to paper on a new long-term Arsenal contract is merely "a matter of time," and the midfielder is reportedly close to completing improved terms.

Talks over an extension began earlier this year and, according to the Evening Standard, there has been confidence on both sides throughout that an agreement would be reached. No official confirmation has been issued by the club.

Arteta's message on Rice's future

Asked whether he expected negotiations to be wrapped up soon, Arteta said: "Yeah. My belief is that he is very content at the club. In every conversation I have with him, he makes clear his wish to stay here over the long term."

The Mirror carries a fuller version of the same answer, in which the manager adds that it "will be a matter of time when we resolve that". Football.London describes the proposed deal as lucrative and long-term.

The Mirror puts the package at up to £350,000 per week including bonuses, with a rise of upwards of £100,000 a week.

The Mirror also notes that Arteta signed fresh terms of his own, running until the summer of 2030, a few weeks ago, and that Rice recently told the Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay that the manager's extension made him want to stay in north London even longer.

A heavy workload behind the form

Rice's importance to Arteta is not in question. Only three weeks after his break ended, he resumed pre-season training and has been in the starting lineup for each of Arsenal's eight Premier League fixtures this season.

"What we are demanding him to do, every year, is very difficult to maintain," Arteta said. "He's doing it, big credit to him."

The Mirror recalls that Arteta has previously nicknamed the midfielder The Lighthouse, a reference to his ability to sniff out danger.

Ready for the trip to Anfield

Rice is expected to be available to start when Arsenal face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, according to the Mirror. He sat out the Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, which finished 1-1, and was seen holding his right hamstring in the closing stages of the 2-0 win over Everton last weekend, but he trained as normal at London Colney on Friday.

Arteta framed the fixture as one for his senior players. "Big players for big matches and we know the kind of performance we need from Dec and the rest of the boys to get away from there with three points," he said.

What else is on the contract desk

The same report states there has so far been no concrete indication that Arsenal are actively working to extend the captain's contract.

For now, the clearest signal coming out of the club concerns Rice. Both the Evening Standard and the Mirror describe an agreement as close, with the manager's public comments pointing the same way, though nothing has been signed off or announced.

Photo: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.