Arsenal star player has now rejected a new contract, amid interest from European giants – Could cause Arteta the league title if he’s gone
Arsenal have a number of players they want to tie down to new contracts with William Saliba among those the Gunners want to pen fresh terms.
Saliba has been like a new signing for the Gunners this season. Since returning from a couple of seasons out on loan, Saliba has emerged as one of the top young defenders in Europe and the Premier League.
But despite activating a 12-month extension on the Frenchman’s contract, there remains a nervousness around whether Saliba will agree to anything longer than that.
And according to 90Min, things aren’t going as Arsenal hoped, with Saliba now said to have rejected the latest contract offer from the Gunners board.
90Min claims that the representatives for Saliba feel Arsenal’s offer doesn’t reflect the fact he is now a top European defender. With that, it appears the French star’s agents are looking for more money and a pay packet to reflect his status.
News of Saliba’s team playing hardball will worry some inside Arsenal. Despite activating that 12 month option, Arsenal will be acutely aware that any sale value will dip with each passing month.
Our View: Arsenal might have to push the boat out for Saliba
Arsenal might well have all this in hand behind the scenes but the last thing they want is any sort of contract distraction ruining their charge for the title.
With Saliba, Arsenal have a top defender on their hands who they’d find it near impossible to replace. At £27m, he looks an absolute snip right now.
However, Saliba has clearly spoken to his reps and has certain terms he wants to see in his contract. There has been talk of PSG being keen and we all know what sort of money that will bring. Arsenal, then, need to get a grip on this quickly before it gets out of hand.
