Finally! Injury return date for William Saliba | OneFootball

William Saliba will return from injury with Arsenal in time for pre-season as contract talks get underway.

RMC Sport report that William Saliba will return to the pitch to prepare for the 2023/24 season with Arsenal at the end of June or early July.

As previously reported elsewhere, Saliba is out for the remainder of the campaign with Arsenal, and he must observe a period of rest to fully recover.

A return by early July should see Saliba back in action in time for Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures, with a Germany training camp rumoured for early-to-mid July.

RMC add that Arsenal have also started to negotiate a contract extension with the French defender.

Football.London reported earlier this month that there’s confidence that a deal for Saliba can be agreed, with Mikel Arteta keen to keep the centre-back at the club.

Speaking a couple of weeks ago, Arteta admitted there wasn’t a significant update to give on the talks, but he believes it’s just about the timing of an extension now.

“We want to keep our best talent. Especially the players that deserve some recognition,” Arteta said.

“I think he has been incredible since he came back from his loan period and we want to reward him, that is for sure. We will find the right moment to do that.

“Obviously Edu and the board are on top of every negotiation regarding new contracts and now we are doing everything we possibly can to do that in the right moment at the right time.

“The communication and the relationship is super. It is about timing, I think. Nothing else.”

As it stands, Saliba’s deal expires in 2024, giving him just a year left on his contract from this summer.

The French international has made 33 appearances for Arsenal since joining the club, all of which were this season.

With Gabriel Magalhaes extending his contract earlier in the season, Gabriel MartinelliBukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale