Bukayo Saka: Arsenal star’s image rights company doubles earnings
A company set up to manage Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka’s image rights more than doubled in value last year.
Income at BS7 Rights Limited, which is run by his parents Adenike Saka and Hamed Saka, increased from £2.30m to £4.64m in 2024.
The sharp rise came after Saka signed a new contract at Arsenal, reported to be worth around £15m a year, at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The 23-year-old has emerged as a key player for both club and country since breaking into first-team football aged 17, soon after signing his first professional contract.
Saka has made 257 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 69 goals and contributing 70 assists, mostly from the right wing.
He has been a driving force in the north London club’s resurgence in recent seasons and their run to the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League.
The Wembley-born star scored as Arsenal completed a 5-1 aggregate win over reigning European champions Real Madrid last week.
Saka has earned 43 England caps since making his debut in 2020, scoring 12 goals and helping the team reach the final in two European Championships.
Why players like Bukayo Saka use image rights companies
As well as a lucrative contract with the Gunners, Saka has a sponsorship deal with New Balance and is one of the faces of the company’s football boot range.
Professional athletes and in particular footballers commonly set up companies to license the use of their image and other personal characteristics to clubs, sponsors and brands.
This gives them greater control over how their persona is used and, crucially, means that they pay a lower rate of tax on the income than they do on their regular salary.
Earnings from image rights companies are subject to corporation tax of 25 per cent rather than the 45 per cent tax applied to any salary over £125,000.
Saka’s parents are also directors of two other companies related to the Arsenal player’s activities, BS7 Investments Limited and Phantom Management Limited.