Arsenal have been urged to wrap up contract renewals for both Bukayo Saka and William Saliba before turning their attention to bringing in new signings this summer. The Gunners have been able to negotiate new deals for Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli over the past few months, while a new contract for Aaron Ramsdale confirmed earlier this week.
football.london understands that the deal will keep the talented shot-stopper at the Emirates Stadium until 2026, with the club having the option to extend this by a further 12 months. Ramsdale is now considered to be a crucial figure in Mikel Arteta's squad with Arsenal keen on tying down their key players to long-term deals.
The Gunners have enjoyed a brilliant season and are set to finish second in the Premier League table behind Manchester City as Arteta continues to help lead his team on an upwards trajectory. football.london understands Arsenal are prioritising a move for West Ham captain Declan Rice this summer as they look to bolster their squad ahead of a return to Champions League football next term.
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Reports this month have stated Arteta is hoping to open talks with Rice over a £92million move to North London as soon as West Ham's season is officially over. The Hammers secured their place in the Europa Conference League final with a 3-1 aggregate victory over AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals - with their last game of the season set to be played in Prague on Wednesday, June 7.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently provided the state of play for Rice's proposed move to the Gunners. Speaking on YouTube, he said: “Arsenal are now preparing and thinking of the first bid for Declan Rice. This is not submitted yet, but they are preparing that bid internally, it means they are waiting to understand how much West Ham want in order to submit the first proposal.
“They will also respect West Ham as they are busy with European football. So right after the Conference League they will be able to negotiate with West Ham. But the idea is in June to submit an official proposal for Declan Rice. They are now discussing the structure of the bid, it will probably include some add-ons."
With transfer plans firmly in place ahead of the summer, Gunners' legend Gilberto Silva has urged Edu to focus on securing the long-term futures of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba before looking to add new signings to Arteta's squad. “It’s really important because they have taken so long to build up such a young and talented squad, and they cannot afford to lose any of them because it takes time to build this up,” Gilberto told Standard Sport.
“Now, they have a very good team, a very young team that can play for many years together at Arsenal. Therefore, around them, they need to make sure they bring in some other talents and they don’t lose many players.
“I think in the past when I was there, Arsenal suffered a lot during their process of transition when we moved to the Emirates because a lot of the best players were sold. A lot of the Invincibles left the club and some of the younger players who stepped up also left the club.
“The likes of [Cesc] Fabregas, [Robin] van Persie, [Alexander] Hleb, [Samir] Nasri, they all left the club and it made the lives of Arsene [Wenger] and the people at the club so difficult. But I am sure they have learnt from this time because keeping players is going to be very important for the future of the club.”
Arsenal activated a one-year extension option in Bukayo Saka's contract back in January with the 21-year-old's deal now running until the summer of 2024. It is just a matter of time before Saka's new contract is announced with talks progressing positively behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, talks are still ongoing to extend Saliba's contract which is due to expire at the end of next season as things stand. The Frenchman has been ruled out of the Gunners' remaining two fixtures of the season after he has been sidelined since March with a back injury - despite Arteta's reluctance to put a timeframe on his return to action.
When discussing a new contract for Saliba ahead of Arsenal's fixture against Nottingham Forest this weekend, Arteta said: "We are trying. We are having conversations and we are trying to maintain the talent we have at the club as I said before.
"But things take time. You have to agree it. There are different parties involved. I think everybody’s intention is the same and hopefully we’ll find the right solution."
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