Andrea Berta negotiating two Arsenal contract extensions after David Raya agreement

Andrea Berta has made two Arsenal contracts among his top priorities

David Raya is understood to have been handed a pay-rise to reflect his growing importance at Arsenal. The contractual tweak is the latest significant move from sporting director Andrea Berta, who has worked tirelessly to not only improve Mikel Arteta's squad but to retain the services of the club's key players.

Last week, William Saliba penned a new long-term contract extension with the Gunners, snubbing interest from Real Madrid . The imperious centre-back has now committed his future to Arsenal until the summer of 2030.

Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes have also penned fresh terms in recent months while Leandro Trossard was also handed a salary increase .

But Berta is not stopping there as the Italian is continuing to negotiate two more high-profile contract extensions. The first is Bukayo Saka, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2027.

All parties are relaxed about the process and have been since April when Saka publicly outlined his desire to continue playing for his boyhood club ahead of Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid.

The England international said: "I want to win and I want to win wearing this badge, so I think it's pretty clear."

Negotiations are believed to be moving in the right direction and there is optimism that Saka will soon put pen to paper on a new bumper deal.

The first initial discussions between the club and Saka's representatives are understood to have taken place at the start of the year and crucially, this wouldn't just be any contract - it would tie the red-hot forward down in N5 for the peak years of his career and his importance would also be reflected within the deal's terms; likely making him the club's top-earner.

Early talks are also underway with Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, whose current deal runs until the summer of 2028. The versatile right-back is Arsenal's Mr Consistent and it's no surprise that both Arteta and the club's hierarchy would look to retain his services.

Arsenal are planning to offer Jurrien Timber a new contract (Image: Getty Images)

Timber arrived in the same summer as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, who could also be the subject of contract discussions before the end of the current season. Arsenal have a one-year extension option they can trigger for Rice while Havertz is currently prioritising his recovery from a minor surgical procedure on his knee.

Netherlands international Timber is keen to remain at Arsenal and there is positivity talks over a new contract will be successful, though there is no immediate rush to finalise the agreement.

Arteta has already made it known that Arsenal are determined to keep the 24-year-old at the Emirates Stadium. He said during a recent press conference when asked if Timber's performance warrant a reward: “Yes, one hundred per cent. And especially the players that they want to be with us. And we want to attach our futures with them.

“Jurrien is a really good example of someone that, especially under very difficult circumstances, with a very early injury in his career, with a really difficult injury, the way he’s come back and what he’s doing for the team, it’s phenomenal. I think he’s a really good example of another one that hopefully is going to have a long career with us.”