Nine Arsenal deals expiring in 2028 pose £353m Berta question

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Arsenal have nine players whose contracts run out in the summer of 2028, and this time next year each of them will be within months of being able to open pre-contract talks with clubs abroad.

That is the picture painted by football.london, who report that the nine players in question carry a combined Transfermarkt market value of €413m (£352.5m). Under the Bosman ruling, players can agree free transfers with foreign clubs once they enter the final six months of their deals, meaning the window for Andrea Berta to act is already narrowing.

Who is on the list

The group is headlined by Declan Rice, who signed a five-year contract when he arrived from West Ham in a deal worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons. Martin Odegaard committed to a five-year extension shortly afterwards, tying the captain to the Emirates Stadium until at least June 2028.

Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz are in the same bracket, both having signed five-year terms in the summer of 2023 after arriving from Ajax (around £38m) and Chelsea (£65m) respectively. Timber has rebuilt his Arsenal career after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his Premier League debut.

David Raya's four-year deal, signed when his move from Brentford was made permanent in July 2024, also expires in 2028. Ben White's four-year extension from the same summer runs to the same point, though Arsenal hold an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Mikel Merino, signed from Real Sociedad in August 2024 for a fee that could reach £31.6m, completes the outfield contingent. Goalkeepers Illan Meslier, who joined on a free transfer in the summer after Leeds United declined to extend his stay, and Kepa Arrizabalaga, signed from Chelsea on a three-year contract, round out the nine.

The decision facing Berta

Berta has moved decisively on renewals since taking the sporting director role in March 2025, with Bukayo Saka the most recent name to agree fresh terms. But the sheer volume of expiry dates clustered in 2028 presents a different kind of problem.

If extensions are not agreed by December 2027, Arsenal face a straight choice on each player: risk losing them for nothing, or sell a year early and recoup a reduced fee. It is a scenario that has caught out plenty of elite clubs, with Real Madrid recently adding Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool and Bernardo Silva from Manchester City without paying transfer fees.

Arsenal's recent on-pitch progress complicates matters further. Rice has established himself among the leading midfielders in world football, helping the Gunners win the Premier League and reach a Champions League final, while Odegaard has started the current campaign strongly after a couple of less consistent seasons.

Nothing is urgent yet. But the clock on all nine deals starts ticking loudly in roughly 12 months, and the next few transfer windows will show how Berta intends to handle it.