Bukayo Saka: Edu not concerned by slow contract talks
By Tom Gott
Arsenal technical director Edu has insisted he has no worries about the future of winger Bukayo Saka, who has entered the final two years of his contract.
The Gunners are keen to thrash out a new deal with Saka this summer but 90min understands the young winger is in no rush to sort out his future and the prolonged negotiations have attracted interest from a handful of European giants.
Sources have confirmed that Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all keeping an eye on the situation in case Arsenal cannot get a deal done.
Despite the tension, Edu stressed to The Athletic that there is nothing for fans to worry about.
On how talks with Saka are going, the Brazilian responded: “Good, very good. Everybody is happy.
“[The delay is] normal. We’re going to sit and put all the expectations in the right place. Our expectations and his, his family and his agent’s expectations, and put everything together.
"The main thing is how he feels, how he feels comfortable with us. He’s happy, we’re happy, so it’s just: sit down and find a solution.”
Edu did go on to confess that Arsenal will eventually have to look at cashing in on some of the value they have built in their young squad, but he went out of his way to ensure supporters knew he was not talking about Saka.
“Part of the plan is when you are starting to sell the players - that’s the challenging one. You already need someone prepared. Sell, if we are able to do that, then ‘chapeau’," he added. "It’s very challenging.
“For example, let’s talk about next season or another. If we sell, I don’t know, Bukayo Saka - that’s not going to happen but it’s just an example - we as a club have to prepare his replacement straight away. So someone has to be in the squad or we have to manage the market well so, if we sell him, we have someone straight away to replace him in our model.”
Saka elevated his game even further last season, with his return of 11 goals and seven assists in 38 games proving crucial as the Gunners' push for Champions League football went down to the wire.