Arsenal well placed to seal triple deal after journalist’s £62.9m update – pundit
Noel Whelan has insisted Arsenal are in a “really strong” position to renew the contracts of key men Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Gabriel Martinelli.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed “no one will want to go anywhere else” with the Gunners currently sitting top of the Premier League.
Saka, Saliba, and Martinelli are all out of contract at the end of the 2023-24 season.
According to the Daily Mail‘s Sami Mokbel (2 October), Arsenal are confident of tying Saka down to a contract which runs until 2027 or 2028.
The report claims an offer of £200,000-a-week has been formally placed – a deal which could be worth £62.9million if he extends until 2028.
Mokbel also revealed Saliba’s contract is a priority for Arsenal, while Martinelli is being targetted by Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Whelan insisted the trio are “massively important” to Mikel Arteta’s squad becoming the “finished article”.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “Those three players have to be the priority with the start they’ve made to the season.
“If you’re trying to build something, and you want a squad which is the finished article, those three are massively important.
“Arsenal have to get this nipped in the bud before January and get negotiations underway.
“The chairman, the agents, the players will be sitting down and discussing this.
“When you’re playing well and sitting top of the table, no one will want to go anywhere else.
“This is a really strong time for both parties to sit down and work something out which will see these young men sign long-term contracts.”
In other news, pundit slams Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli after controversy pictured – “it’s poor”.