Arsenal have reportedly sent William Saliba their opening contract proposal, with sporting director Andrea Berta working on a masterful double deal.
Saliba joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne for £27million in July 2019. The defender had loan spells at his former club, Nice and Marseille before making his first-team debut for Arsenal in August 2022.
Saliba has gone on to play 137 times for Arsenal in all competitions, chipping in with seven goals, and becoming regarded as one of the most composed and authoritative defenders in the world game.
His superb performances at centre-half have been key to Arsenal getting back into contention for the Premier League title.
Saliba picked up an ankle injury during the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and had to be substituted just five minutes in. The France star is expected to return to action at some stage in October.
His contract expires in June 2027 and Arsenal are determined to tie him down to a lucrative new deal so they do not have their own Trent Alexander-Arnold saga.
Liverpool missed several opportunities to agree a fresh contract with the right-back, allowing him to run down his deal and join Real Madrid on a free transfer at the start of the summer.
Arsenal previously opened contract renewal talks with Saliba’s entourage and French outlet Foot Mercato have now provided an update.
They claim that Arsenal ‘have made their offer’ to keep the 24-year-old for the long run. It is a five-year contract that includes a handsome pay rise to reward Saliba for his elite displays. Saliba currently earns a reported £190,000 a week at Emirates Stadium, while his prospective new deal will see him surpass the £200k-per-week mark.
Arsenal want to avoid Saliba entering the final year of his contract ‘at all costs’, which is why Berta is accelerating talks.
Arsenal are aware that Real Madrid hold strong interest in the player and are acting swiftly to keep the Spanish giants at bay.
By getting Saliba to pen a new contract, Arsenal could force Madrid to ramp up their interest in Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate instead. Saliba is also a target for ‘several’ other unnamed elite clubs across Europe, which is unsurprising given his top-class ability.
The report adds that Saliba ‘remains focused on Arsenal’ and maintains his ‘high ambitions’ to help them win the Premier League and Champions League. It seems he is not agitating for an exit, though that could change if Arsenal once again fail to win a trophy this season.
Arsenal reporter Charles Watts revealed on Wednesday that Berta is working on contracts for both Saliba and winger Bukayo Saka.
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“With the transfer window now closed the priority for Arsenal is to accelerate contract talks with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba,” Watts wrote.
“Andrea Berta has done a good job when it comes to renewals since he arrived as sporting director, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly all penning new long-term deals.
“But arguably the two most important renewals are yet to be agreed, with Saka and Saliba both now into the final two years of their current contracts.
“Talks have been ongoing for a while now with both players and Arsenal are confident that the discussions are going well and both will commit their futures to the north London club.
“I couldn’t say for sure when those deals will be agreed, because they are complicated and both Saka and Saliba were into the final year of their former deals before they last put pen to paper in 2023.
“The hope at Arsenal is that neither negotiation will drag on as long as that this time around and the noises around Saka are certainly very positive.
“Berta has had a lot on his plate since he arrived but he now does have a bit of time to really work on both renewals and Arsenal are confident that there will be progress soon.”
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