William Saliba agrees new long-term Arsenal deal despite Real Madrid interest | Arsenal

William Saliba has agreed a new long-term contract at Arsenal. The 24-year-old centre-back has been a mainstay of Mikel Artetaâ€s team since the 2022-23 season and his decision to extend is a huge boost, not least as he has been a target for Real Madrid.

Salibaâ€s existing terms run until June 2027 and getting him to re-sign has been a priority for the clubâ€s sporting director, Andrea Berta, and the rest of the hierarchy. Arsenal are primed to confirm the deal, which has been months in the making.

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Saliba was asked in July whether he would re-sign. “Yes, hopefully,†he said. “There is nothing now but there is a good conversation with my agent and the club. Letâ€s see.â€

Saliba is considered to be Artetaâ€s defensive leader and one of the teamâ€s most important figures. He played more Premier League minutes than any other Arsenal outfielder in each of the past two seasons; the club had the competitionâ€s meanest defensive record in both.

Signed in the summer of 2019 from Saint-Étienne for £27m, he was loaned back to them for the season before spending the second-half of 2020-21 on loan at Nice. He played on loan at Marseille in 2021-22, when he was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season. He has been in the Professional Footballers†Associationâ€s Premier League team of the season for the past three years.

Salibaâ€s central defensive partner Gabriel Magalhães signed a contract extension in June while Arsenal also tied down Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri to new deals over the summer.

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