Second January signing confirmed: Arsenal completed the signing of £65m world class superstar, club agreement reached last night for 4yr deal, announcement this morning
Second January signing confirmed: Arsenal completed the signing of £65m world class superstar, club agreement reached last night for 4yr deal, announcement this morning
Arsenal stars Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are in ‘advanced’ negotiations about a contract extension, with a deal expected to be concluded in the not-too-distant future, Fabrizio Romano has revealed to GIVEMESPORT.
The Gunners have made it their priority in recent months to extend the contracts of their most important players and Romano expects both Tomiyasu and White to be next in line. Tomiyasu’s deal is set to run out in the summer of 2025, with White’s expiring the following season, but the duo are likely to be rewarded with extensions as a result of their strong form for the north London outfit.
Arsenal now on course for more contract extensions
It’s been a clear approach taken from Arsenal in recent weeks and months, with plenty of their top stars having been handed new deals. William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have all penned new deals with the 2022/23 Premier League runners-up across the last 12 months, and it looks like a further two players will now be afforded the same luxury.
One of those being Tomiyasu, who according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, has made ‘positive’ steps to securing fresh terms. The reliable journalist revealed to GIVEMESPORT that the Japanese international, who joined from Bologna for £22 million back in the summer of 2021, is locked into negotiations with the Arsenal hierarchy, with no complications surrounding the contract extension likely to crop up.
While he’s never really been able to nail down a starting role, the 25-year-old has still proved a useful member of Mikel Arteta’s squad, making 73 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners since joining three years ago. What’s more, with Tomiyasu’s current deal set to expire in 18 months, wrapping the extension up as soon as possible could prove beneficial for Arsenal in the long run.
White also on Arsenal’s contract extension list
Elsewhere, fellow defender White is also being spoken about as someone who could be in line for an extension too, with football.london reporting the north Londoners have been proactive in trying to tie the 26-year-old down. Unlike Tomiyasu, White has a little longer to run on his current deal, with the England international’s contract rolling until the summer of 2026.
It gives Arsenal plenty of time to secure a renewal, but given his importance to Arteta’s side, it’s understandable the title hopefuls have jumped the gun with this one. Having featured in all but one Premier League match for Arsenal this season, it’s clear just how crucial his presence is to the Gunners’ backline, meaning White being happy and comfortable with his deal at the Emirates Stadium is paramount.
Fabrizio Romano update – Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White closing in on new contracts
When quizzed about the latest in regard to Arsenal’s quest to renew their star players’ contracts, transfer expert Romano told GIVEMESPORT that the pair were high up on the list of renewal priorities at the Emirates Stadium. Suggesting Arsenal are keen to get new deals for the duo wrapped up as soon as possible, the Italian reporter expects movement on Tomiyasu and White’s contract extensions to follow in the coming weeks and months.
On the current state of play at Arsenal, Romano revealed:
“The negotiation is advanced with both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, during the transfer window it’s also normal that sometimes for the clubs it is not easy to meet with the agents of these players and complete these deals because they are busy with something else, maybe with outgoings, maybe with loans, maybe with new signings.
“So it’s also normal to see this kind of standby in the negotiation but it’s already very advanced. I think for Arsenal it’s a priority, they’re showing for a long time how important it is for them to extend the contracts of their crucial players and they keep thinking that Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are going to be the next ones.”
Arsenal title challenge to continue with Tomiyasu and White
Following on from the weekend’s clash against Crystal Palace, Arsenal will once again enjoy a week away from the pitch, having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool in the previous round. It means they won’t play again until the end of January, when the Gunners make the visit to Nottingham Forest.
The place where their title hopes were crushed last season, Arsenal will be keen to ensure the same mistake isn’t made this time around. Following that, February begins with another clash against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, with what could prove to be a huge indicator as to where the Premier League title ends up this season.
