Arsenal remain confident that William Saliba will sign a new contract with the club as talks over a renewal continue, football.london understands. The club have been in talks with the Frenchman and his representatives since early May and there is hope than an agreement can be found to extend beyond his current deal, which expires in 2027.
The club are thought to be looking to offer a considerable boost in the player’s wages, which puts him among the best-paid players at the club and among those in his position in Europe. Saliba, who has been linked with Real Madrid, has said he is happy at Arsenal and is on record as wanting to win trophies with the north London side.
football.londonasked Saliba directly in March whether he could say anything to help supporters nervous about his future to feel better. While stopping short of outright committing his future, he did provide an encouraging answer.
"For me, I'm really happy here,” he said. “I've been here for two years and a half as well. There is nothing. I'm happy here and I want to continue here."
Asked at the time whether talks had started on a new contract, he said: “Not yet, because there is some years [left], so there is no rush at the minute. I’m happy here, that’s it.”
As mentioned, those talks have now started, and the club will hope that after successful talks with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Saliba’s central defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes, he will follow suit. There are further discussions with Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri, too which are believed to be progressing positively.
Andrea Berta, the club’s new sporting director, is key to these talks alongside manager Mikel Arteta and director of football operations James King. Since their rise back to be a title challenger and Champions League potential-winner, the club have found discussions over new deals much more successful and now are looking to even strengthen the backline with the pursuit of Cristhian Mosquera.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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