Jack Wilshere Finally Set to Receive New Arsenal Contract During Expected Talks Next Week

Arsenal have been tipped to finally open contract talks with home-grown midfielder Jack Wilshere over extending his stay at the club beyond the end of the season.

Wilshere is currently due to become a free agent in June, but is yet to sit down with the Gunners hierarchy to discuss his future.

Dan Istitene/GettyImages

That is all set to change, though, with a report from the Daily Mirror explaining that talks will begin next week and that Arsenal are 'finally ready to make a formal contract offer'.

Rumours last week suggested that Wilshere has had interest from clubs abroad, including 1993 European champions Marseille, but that it remains his intent to snub all such offers and stay true to his dream of becoming an Arsenal legend.

It looks as though he could get his way after proving his fitness in recent weeks and returning to the starting line-up, but he will have to make do with a lower basic wage to begin with.

Given his injury record over the course of his career to date, the Mirror notes that Arsenal understandably want to drop Wilshere's current basic wage from £90,000-per-week.

However, the nature of the proposed new deal would be largely incentive-based. And so while his starting salary would be less, bonuses earned through playing regularly could actually see him earn more in total than he is doing currently.

Wilshere's goal against Chelsea last week was his first in the Premier League since May 2015.

He has started each of the club's last six Premier League games and was seen as important enough to be rested alongside other senior stars for the 4-2 FA Cup exit at the hands of Nottingham Forest.