Arsenal defender William Saliba has agreed a new five-year contract with the club.
The France international has two years left on his existing deal, but BBC Sport has been told he will sign up in the coming days to stay until 2030.
Saliba, 24, joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne in July 2019 but was loaned back to the French club for the 2019-20 season before having further loan spells in Ligue 1 at Nice and Marseille.
He has established himself as a key part of manager Mikel Arteta’s defence since making his debut in August 2022 and has made 137 appearances for Arsenal.
Saliba’s existing contract was due to expire in June 2027 and his impressive form had drawn transfer interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid.
His commitment to the Gunners will be a further boost to Arteta’s Premier League and Champions League ambitions, after Saliba’s centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes agreed a long-term deal until 2029 in June.
Arsenal travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle in the top-flight on Sunday.
Why is Saliba so important to Arsenal?
Saliba’s centre-back partnership with Gabriel has developed into one of the most formidable in the Premier League. His ability on the ball and reading of the game makes him the perfect foil for the more physically dominant Brazilian.
Saliba has won possession more often than any Arsenal player in the Premier League since his debut in 2022, but he also plays a crucial role in build-up play. He has completed more passes than any of his team-mates over the past three years and is second only to Martin Odegaard when it comes to carrying the ball forward.
The 24-year-old also ranks second in terms of clearances and aerial duels won, with those metrics both led by Gabriel.
Saliba was sorely missed during the during the final two months of the 2022-23 season, with Arsenal’s title chances disappearing while he recovered from a back issue, but he has sat out only four top-flight matches since.
The summer signings of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie mean the Gunners are now well stocked in central defence, but securing Saliba’s long-term future is nonetheless a crucial bit of business.-BBC
