William Saliba's agent, Niang Djibril, has teased that a contract extension could closer than first thought after snapping a picture outside the Emirates Stadium. The 21-year-old faces an increasingly uncertain future at Arsenal with his deal set to expire at the end of next season.
With Paris-Saint Germain keeping tabs on Saliba's development, football.london understands that talks are progressing well over an extension. Mikel Arteta is eager to tie the France international down to a long-term contract as the defender continues to prove integral in the Gunners' title challenge.
Saliba will be eligible to open pre-contract talks in January with clubs outside of the Premier League, if by then he and Arsenal have not reached an agreement over a new deal. So, with the Gunners in a race against time, Djibril's post of him at the Emirates Stadium has sent supporters into a frenzy on social media.
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While Bukayo Saka also sees his contract at Arsenal expire in the summer of 2024 too, Ian Wright has suggested that his former side must prioritise extending the future of Saliba first. Speaking to Premier League Productions, the former Gunners striker said: "For a defender, and I feel the same with central midfielders, they have to play regularly to get to know the position and especially with the age that he is.
"That’s why they sent him out [on loan] again. Arsenal fans were a little disappointed because we felt that we needed him. But you look at him, now, the way he has started the season and the way he plays. It’s fantastic.
"He’s a full international off the back of it," Wright added. "People talking about Saka, and Saka signing a new deal, and we know how much we need Saka.
"I don’t think there was any real problems with that happening because of his connection with the club. But I think all the eggs need to go in the Saliba basket. We got to make sure we keep this guy."
And, Arteta could be in the same boat as Wright after heaping great praise on Saliba ahead of the Bournemouth tie. Speaking to the press, the Spaniard revealed that he still had some concerns over the defender despite returning from loan as Ligue 1's young player of the season.
"The first question was how the player is going to reintegrate into our dynamic after being out for so long," Arteta said. "Is there some frustration there, something personal between, for example, between me and the player because he could not understand that?
"Or his environment, his expectations coming back or the amount that we paid for him, his age? Is it the same to do it in France as it is to do it in this league for Arsenal because you don’t have 21-year-old defenders at the top level in England?
"For the first week I didn’t speak to him," Arteta added. "I just wanted to see – naturally, without me really interfering in his thoughts – how he was. Because then you can understand the real him and after that I spoke to him."
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