Arsenal: William Saliba 'likely to sign new deal' in 'next couple of months' | OneFootball

Arsenal star William Saliba is ‘likely’ to pen a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium ‘in the next couple of months’, according to CBS journalist Jonathan Johnson.

The central defender is currently at the World Cup, having been named in France’s squad, but the Gunners are eager to see him commit his long-term future to the club.

What’s the latest news involving Saliba?

According to The Athletic, there has been a desire from the Arsenal hierarchy to extend Saliba’s contract for a prolonged period of time and fresh terms are now on the table.

The report suggests the development comes after the 21-year-old, who spent last season on loan with Marseille, entered formal negotiations with the north Londoners.

Saliba is due to enter the final 18 months of his Arsenal deal, which is worth £40,000-per-week, at the turn of the year.

But the Gunners have been handed a boost as respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Frenchman is seriously considering the contract offer which has been put forward and there is growing optimism that he will remain in the capital.

Prior to putting pen-to-paper, Saliba will be hoping to add to his seven caps during the World Cup.

What has Jonathan Johnson said about Saliba?

Johnson has been made aware that it is increasingly probable that Saliba will commit his long-term future to Arsenal.

The journalist has been told by French sources that a contract extension is in the offing after holding discussions.

He is expecting Saliba to sign on the dotted line in the coming months, meaning Arsenal will not be under pressure to sell if he enters the final year-and-a-half of his current agreement.

“It is my understanding on the French end that there is likely to be a contract extension at some point in the next couple of months.”

How has Saliba performed so far this season?

Despite joining Arsenal in a £27million switch from French side Saint-Etienne in 2019, Saliba had to wait until the current campaign before making his debut.

However, he has not looked back since and become one of the first names on the team-sheet as the capital club have moved five points clear at the Premier League’s summit.

Saliba has only missed 14 minutes of top flight action this term and also shown that he can be a threat in the final third of the pitch by finding the back of the net against Bournemouth and Brentford.

He has averaged 2.7 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per Premier League outing, while he has also helped Arsenal to six clean sheets.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who described Saliba as ‘superb’ after his debut performance against Crystal Palace, should make tying the centre-half down to a new contract his top priority.