Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club are "willing" to extend William SalIba's contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Saliba is one of three key members of Arteta’s squad who see their current deals in north London expire in 18 months' time, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli also nearing the end of their contracts. The France international has become one of the Gunners’ most consistent performers this season following his return to north London after an impressive loan move at Marseille.
The defender has featured 18 times this season and has formed a solid partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes in defence. However, his performances have warranted interest from Paris Saint-Germain amid uncertainty over his current contract at the club.
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Saliba's presence in Arteta's back four has seemingly coincided with the Gunners' impressive start to the 2022/23 season. After 15 games, the club have won 13 games and sit five points above Manchester City at the top of the table.
And whilst work is underway behind the scenes to add further depth to Arteta's squad, there remains an urgency to secure the services of the current crop of players in north London. Ahead of this weekend's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, Arteta was on hand to provide an update on Saliba's contract situation ahead of the January transfer window.
"We have a few of those that we are willing to extend the contract. Willy is one of them," Arteta said when asked about the importance of tying the 21-year-old down to a new deal.
"I think he’s shown in the months that he’s been with us the quality and the personality he has to play at the level that we want. We are trying to do that because we know he can be a really important part of our plans."
Asked whether talks with the club and player were progressing well, Arteta added: "I hope so. That’s more to Edu and the board to be discussing with him. What I know is that the player is really happy, the player wants to be here and that’s the main thing."
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