Arsenal have reportedly been left “shocked” by the wage demands of William Saliba’s agents as they try to sort out an agreement over a new contract.
Before suffering a season-ending back injury against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, the 22-year-old established a reputation as one of the Premier League’s leading centre-backs in the 2022-23 campaign.
Saliba ended his breakthrough season in Arsenal colours with three goals and an assist from 33 appearances, starting 27 Premier League games in succession after waiting three years for his competitive debut.
The France international’s absence coincided with Arsenal’s drop-off in form during the title run-in, as Mikel Arteta’s side won just five of their final 11 Premier League games with Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior rotating in the backline.
Nevertheless, a second-placed finish propelled Arsenal back into the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and the Gunners are currently prioritising contract renewals for their coveted young stars.
Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes have all put pen to paper, and Saliba’s renewal is the next top priority on the agenda of sporting director Edu.
The Gunners activated a 12-month extension in December to ensure that Saliba would not leave on a free transfer this summer, but the ex-Saint-Etienne man could still depart for nothing in 2024 as things stand.
There is yet to be a breakthrough in talks with the 22-year-old’s camp, though, and The Sun claims that money is proving to be the biggest stumbling block.
Arsenal have supposedly offered Saliba a new-and-improved deal worth £120,000 per week, trebling his current wage of £40,000, but they have been left stunned by what his agents are demanding.
As a result, the Gunners are fearful that Paris Saint-Germain could swoop in this summer, and Arsenal could not compete with the Ligue 1 champions financially.
With Arsenal not considering the prospect of losing Saliba for free in 2024, the Gunners are fighting tooth and nail to reach an agreement, but they could be forced to sell him if no deal can be
Arsenal paid £27m to sign a then-teenage Saliba from Saint-Etienne in 2019, but the centre-back was loaned straight back out to Les Verts before subsequent spells with Nice and Marseille.
Saliba’s performances with the latter earned him the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year prize for 2021-22, and Marseille tried in vain to sign him permanently, as Arteta assured him that he was an important part of his plans in North London.
Despite struggling with his back injury for a couple of months now, Saliba is not expected to go under the knife, and Arsenal are hopeful of having him back in training for the start of pre-season in July.
PSG are also believed to be keeping tabs on the future of Martin Odegaard, but the Arsenal captain is settled in North London and is expected to agree to fresh terms imminently.
