It's very much a case of three down and plenty more to go with regard to Arsenal tying players down to new contracts.
In February it was confirmed that Mohamed Elneny - now the Gunners' longest-serving first-team player - having joined in the 2016 January transfer window from Swiss outfit Basel - is set to remain in north London until June 2024 after signing a one-year contract extension.
This was actually the second Arsenal contract announcement since the turn of the year following Gabriel Martinell's decision to commit his future to the club, whilst compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes was the first senior to put pen-to-paper on fresh terms this season when he signed back in October.
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And there could be more announcements on the horizon very soon with the focus very much on Bukayo Saka at the moment especially as football.london understands he will become the club's highest-paid player when his new contract is officially signed as a five-year deal has been agreed.
Furthermore, football.london understands Arsenal remain in talks with William Saliba's representatives over a new deal as the Frenchman's current deal expires in the summer of 2024 following the club's decision to trigger a one-year extension option clause in his contract.
So whilst the Gunners have already started the process to avoid being in a 'weak position' regarding Saliba and Saka, the pair are not the club's only contract priorities at the moment and there are seven first-team players that should also come into focus, as there could be a chance to raise millions of pounds in transfer fees.
Following the Elneny extension announcement, it means Hale End academy graduate Reiss Nelson is now the sole first-team player whose deal expires in June and after scoring a dramatic winner against Bournemouth and being challenged by Arteta to earn himself a new one, football.london understands talks are ongoing.
Elsewhere, prior to Ainsley Maitland-Niles joining Southampton on loan, it was reported that he signed a one-year extension with the Gunners. If that was indeed the case then he joins Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe, Alex Runarsson and Rob Holding as the senior players out of contract in June 2024, as per transfermarkt.
Except for Holding and Mari - who is expected to seal a permanent move to Mari - every single player mentioned above is out on loan and the fact that none appear to have long-term futures with Arsenal, means they are effectively in the shop window for the remainder of the season to help their parent club command a decent transfer fee if sold in the summer.
Granit Xhaka and Jorginho's contracts also expire in 2024 but as the former has the option for a further year that would keep him at the club until the end of the 2024/2025 season and the latter being a recent recruit, there's an argument that neither player is near the top of the priority list at the moment.
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