Arsenal star William Saliba has snubbed a potential move to Manchester United or Bayern Munich to commit his long-term future to the Gunners this summer, according to reports. The Frenchman is set to sign a new deal with the north London club as football.london understands he has verbally agreed a contract extension.
The contract will keep him at the club for an extra four-years, taking his stay up until 2027 after a breakout campaign in the Premier League. The 22-year-old joined the Gunners in 2019 from Saint-Etienne for roughly £30million, a move that could've been a huge risk for the side.
It would take some time before there would be a return on such an investment, with a loan back to his former club for the rest of the season before a spell at OGC Nice and Marseille in the campaigns that followed. There were doubts over the youngster's future going into this season, having impressed in his loan spells.
Mikel Arteta looked to silence any discussions of an exit by saying that Saliba was in his plans, throwing him into the first-team in the first game of the campaign. He excelled against Crystal Palace in the opener, continuing his form throughout the games that would come after.
His calmness both on and off the ball exuded the confidence that was required of a side that was suddenly thrusted into an unexpected Premier League title challenge. "He took every questions mark that we had about him out," Arteta said on the defender's impact earlier in the season.
"He has given all the reasons to play him and I think he has been exceptional since that day. He is naturally really composed and he doesn't get too bothered about opinions or getting nervous in certain situations and that's a big quality of his."
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His importance underscored in the latter half of the campaign as the centre-back picked up a back injury in a Europa League clash with Sporting CP. It would be an absence that ended his season prematurely, with the months that followed seeing an increase in goals conceded and the title push fall apart.
With such a young core though, there's hope at London Colney that the team will pick up another challenge for the league next campaign. Key stars such as Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have committed their long-term futures to the club and Saliba is set to follow.
He has turned down other opportunities too, with RMC Sport reporting that Manchester United and Bayern Munich have monitored the chance of a transfer this summer. However, even with those chances, the extension of the France international's contract only underlines the huge turnaround the Gunners have managed in the past two-years or so.
It's the project to be a part of now, with Arteta's guidance taking them back towards the top.
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