Arsenal are hoping to tie down William Saliba to a new contract as soon as possible, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Real Madrid hold a concrete interest in the France international, and speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said the Gunners want to ensure that Saliba’s future is secured to prevent any future approach from Spain:
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“Another big mission we don’t have to underestimate is to extend the contract of William Saliba. Arsenal director Andrea Berta is really focused on that mission. It doesn’t mean that Arsenal will not do anything else [in the transfer market] because we will see what happens in the next few weeks. But it means that Arsenal’s focus is also on this Saliba story.”
“Arsenal want to extend his contract. Arsenal are in contact with his agents. Arsenal believe that extending the contract of Saliba is really important. It’s not just a contract extension. Sometimes, in football, we see contract extensions as something normal. This is not a normal one. This is a very important one, and Arsenal want to go for it strong. So conversations ongoing for Arsenal is a really important topic.”
“They want to try to accelerate, and they know that Saliba is one of the big top names in the list of Florentino Perez at Real Madrid. Not from today, not from yesterday, but it’s been like this for months. So Arsenal want to avoid any Real Madrid attack, not for this summer, but for 2026 or for the future. So Arsenal want to push a new contract for Saliba.”
How much time does Saliba have left on his current deal?
The 24-year-old put pen to paper on his last extension in the summer of 2023, and he has under two years remaining on the four-year contract he signed back then.
Speaking last month, Saliba seemed keen on staying at the Emirates. Asked when he could sign on the dotted line, the France international replied:
“Hopefully soon! God is great. This year, we will try to win everything.”
Arsenal players with less than two years left on their contracts
Berta will be kept busy with extensions over the coming months. Several key stars, including Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, have deals that expire in 2027.
In total, there are ELEVEN members of the first team squad who have 23 months or less remaining on their contracts.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here