Arsenal have made signing Bukayo Saka and William Saliba to new contracts a priority.
The decision comes after Gabriel Martinelli signed to a new long-term contract which will now expire in the summer of 2027 after entering the final 18 months of his contract.
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Martinelli has just signed a new contract with Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has been keen to nail his best young players to the Emirates for the better parts of their careers and is ready to raise their wages to do so.
And talkSPORT understands the priority will now be to reach an agreement with Saka over a new contract as Manchester City sniffs around the England international.
Arsenal are also pushing to sign Saliba to a new deal after a breakthrough year at the north London club where he forged a brilliant defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes, who agreed a new deal earlier this season.
Transfer expert Alex Crook gave the details, saying: “Arsenal will intensify further contract negotiations with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba after Gabriel Martinelli commits his future to the club.
“The Gunners are hoping to link England star Saka and France defender Saliba to long-term deals.
“Saka has been on Manchester City’s radar but Arsenal are confident he will stay in north London.
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Arsenal are keen to sign a new contract with Saka
“Brazilian Martinelli is now contracted until at least the summer of 2027 and has earned himself a big pay rise to become one of Arsenal’s top earners.”
The Gunners have been working to tie Saka to a new contract since the start of the season but have yet to find a breakthrough.
However, all parties are confident a deal can be reached as soon as possible, although news of City’s interest is not welcome for Arteta.
And fans might remember how the Premier League champions nabbed some of Arsenal’s best players in the past, including Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Adebayor.
Saka’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season but the Gunners have triggered an extension which added a further 12 months meaning his contract will now end in 2024.
In August last year, Arteta was extremely convinced that a new contract was just a formality.
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Saka and Saliba have been crucial for the Gunners this season
He said: “I’m very confident that we as a club and Bukayo, his family, his agent, everyone are very aligned on what we want to achieve.
“I would like that to be done, because I don’t want the player or anyone else to be distracted while we are in the middle of the season.
“But these things take time and they have to go through the right process, and I think the process has been really good.”
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