Report: Aaron Ramsey close to signing new Arsenal contract

Arsenal are close to signing Aaron Ramsey to a new long-term contract that will take him through 2023 according to Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph. Ramsey, along with Granit Xhaka, has been identified as a senior central midfield player, and talks are progressing, with Ramsey reportedly excited about working with Unai Emery.

The sticking point with Ramsey signing a new deal has been wages. Having signed an extension in 2014, that put him in the wage bracket of around £100k, having not gotten a pay raise when Ramsey signed, along with the other British players, in 2012. Ramsey wants to now be recognized as what he is, one of Arsenal’s best and most important players. Ramsey scored Arsenal’s goal of the season, and was also named as the player of the season, scoring 11 goals and assisting 12, in 32 games across all competitions. Arsenal’s offer is to put him in the wage bracket with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which is in the realm of £200k/week.

There is also some suggestion that Ramsey, who has been at Arsenal for 10 years, could be named the new club captain, with Per Mertesacker retiring and Laurent Koscielny out until at least December.

The transfer of Sokratis should be confirmed at the beginning of July, while Lucas Torreira should have a medical soon.