Arsenal have decided to build around a young team over the last year under Mikel Arteta. Going down this route has finally begun to show progression for the north London side as the Gunners currently sit at the top of the Premier League table after six games of the new season.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba are all still under the age of 22, but have proven themselves as integral members in Arteta’s starting team this season. The trio are crucial in the Spaniard’s rebuilding process.
It is for this reason that the Gunners are reportedly looking to the three players down to contracts and have set a deadline in achieving this. With the January window just months away it is important that Arsenal’s youngsters remain assets to fend off interest from rival clubs.
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The talented trio are all out of contract in 2024, which means that their deals have less than two years to run. This is a worry for Arsenal as the youngsters are close to entering the territory whether the club agree to sales at a low price, or risk losing them on a free transfer.
However, 90min have reported that Arsenal are pushing hard to tie Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba down to new long-term contracts. The report goes on to claim that Edu believes all three deals are on the right track, with the Gunners hopeful that all three will have put pen to paper by January.
Saka has already revealed that he is confident of signing a contract extension with Arsenal. The 20-year-old most recently signed a four-year extension in the summer of 2020 and since then has gone on to become one of the Gunners' most important and influential players.
Mikel Arteta admitted he was also positive about the chances of getting fresh terms sorted. "I am very confident that we as a club and Bukayo, his family, his agent, everybody, we are very much aligned in what we want to achieve," the Spaniard said. "And now it is about putting it on a piece of paper."
Meanwhile, Saka said: "Yes, I share his confidence," The England international told reporters after the Gunners' 2-1 win over Fulham in August. Saka, however, would not be drawn into placing a timescale on when that was likely to be.
"I share that confidence, that is it!" he said.
Saliba has been consistently linked with a move away from north London, however football.london's Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak revealed that things are looking positive for Frenchman to sign a new contract in a Q and A towards the end of last month.
While Martinelli's contract is due to expire in 2024, there is reportedly an option to extend to deal by a further year, meaning that there is less pressure to get his deal renewed in the immediate future.
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