Sol Campbell tells Arsenal to offer Bukayo Saka a new contract to stop Liverpool interest

Bukayo Saka signed a new contract in July 2020 but his impressive performances have put Liverpool on alert

Arsenal legend Sol Campbell has told Arsenal to tie Bukayo Saka to another long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium as soon as possible. The former Gunners defender warned that failing to offer the forward a new contract might embolden rival teams to approach the player with better offers.

Saka has been influential for Mikel Arteta's side this season, being the standout performer in a youth-led Gunners revolution alongside Emile Smith-Rowe and Martin Odegaard. The England international has registered five goals and four assists in the league this season after 19 matches.

Liverpool amongst suitors for Saka

Despite Saka having two-and-a-half years left on his current contract, Campbell believes the time is right to approach the 20-year-old with fresh terms to wade off potential suitors.

Saka could be targeted by Liverpool as a long-term acquisition for their final third

"When you get young players who just come out and do really, really well, you’ve got to protect them, you’ve got to secure them. They’re the lifeblood for the fans, for their country, England, and especially Arsenal," Campbell said during an interview session on talkSPORT.

"You can’t allow top, top players to run their contracts down and move on because you’re taking too long. It’s happened before but that was all about big, big money, it took a long time to secure their contracts – why?

Saka could be worth more in 6 months

Campbell believes that offering Saka new terms now could save the Gunners from paying more later if the England international continues to improve and is subsequently worth more in the nearest future.

Saka earns a modest £30,000-a-week salary at Arsenal (Getty Images)

"When a club takes so long to secure the future of a player, if you wait too long, they’re going to get offers from other teams around. Sometimes you can agree a price but if you wait six months [to get the deal signed] the price might now be different, it could be more," Campbell explained.

"So you’re thinking, why didn’t you secure that price six months ago, when you would have paid less money, secured the player and everyone would be happy, instead of trying to drag it out and trying to be clever with negotiations?"

The Gunners are in action against Manchester City on New Year's Day in what would be a huge test for Saka and a band of improving young players at Arsenal. Though, Arteta will be missing from the bench due to a positive coronavirus test that has kept him in isolation.