William Saliba agrees new long-term Arsenal contract
Saliba #Saliba
William Saliba has agreed the terms of a new four-year contract with Arsenal, 90min understands.
The centre-back’s current deal is set to expire at the end of next season and a number of elite sides across Europe had started registering their interest in the 22-year-old, whose negotiations with Arsenal over a new deal started all the way back in September.
Saliba rejected a handful of proposals from Arsenal but was never understood to be pushing for a move away from the Gunners and was instead believed to be eyeing a deal which better reflected his status as one of the game’s top young defenders.
The Frenchman’s representatives recently pushed for an increased offer and sources have confirmed to 90min an agreement has finally been reached to extend Saliba’s contract until 2027.
Saliba has always been keen to stay at Arsenal, despite interest from across the Premier League and back in his homeland of France, and is now set to extend his stay at the Emirates.
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Saliba ended the 2022/23 season with 33 appearances in all competitions, the last of which came in March as a troublesome back problem brought his campaign to an abrupt end.
Mikel Arteta’s side suffered in Saliba’s absence, winning just five of their 11 Premier League games without him and ultimately falling behind Manchester City in the title race, underlying his importance to the team.
Arsenal have already wrapped up the futures of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale, and tying Saliba down to a new deal will come as an enormous boost for Arteta’s plans to keep his young core together.
Winger Reiss Nelson is also understood to have agreed an extension of his own ahead of the expiry of his current deal this summer.
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