Three ‘major clubs’ have already made contact with Arsenal to enquire about the possibility of signing William Saliba this summer. The 22-year-old joined the Gunners in 2019 and has since established himself as a key component of Mikel Arteta’s young side, before succumbing to injury. Saliba has not featured since he damaged his back against Sporting Lisbon in March and his absence has coincided with Arsenal’s worst run of form this season.
Arsenal are now looking to reward their best players with new contracts, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli recently penning new deals, while Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks. However, Saliba’s renewal is unlikely to be as straightforward given he has just over 12 months remaining on his current contract. According to RMC, Europe’s elite are already circling and asking about the possibility of Arsenal cashing in, rather than risk losing one of their prize assets for nothing in 12 months’ time. The Sun reports that Arsenal are intent on holding fresh talks with Saliba and are determined to get him to renew his commitment to the club.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are set to bring the curtain down on Granit Xhaka’s seven-year spell in north London and are in advanced negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over a €15million transfer. Xhaka has enjoyed his best ever season at Arsenal, scoring seven goals and recording seven assists in all competitions. Arteta is now planning a major overhaul of his midfield engine room and is intent on adding more physical presence and dynamism to his midfield. To that end, Arsenal are set to make an opening offer for West Ham captain Declan Rice, while Arteta has also been given the green light to make a renewed effort to sign Brighton’s Moises Caicedo who was the subject of two club-record bids in January.