William Saliba’s contract talks are going positively, and the player will stay with Arsenal this season, according to a report.

Marseille's French defender William Saliba (C) runs with the ball during the French L1 football match between Olympique Marseille (OM) and Lyon (OL) at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France, on May 1, 2022. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Marseille’s French defender William Saliba (C) runs with the ball during the French L1 football match between Olympique Marseille (OM) and Lyon (OL) at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France, on May 1, 2022. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Chris Wheatley writes that Arsenal’s contract talks with William Saliba are moving in a positive direction with the player set to return for pre-season training shortly.

In terms of the immediate future, Wheatley writes that Saliba will stay at Arsenal this season. Sources close to the player have confirmed as much, as well as Mikel Arteta last month.

“He has to come back,” Arteta said. “He has the experience and the necessary environment to be competitive with us.

“If he had stayed with us this year, with one Premier League game a week and with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn’t have had half the game time he had with Marseille, that’s for sure.

“In terms of his growth and what he could do next year, it wouldn’t have been good. William wasn’t with us because he wouldn’t have had the playing time required to gain experience. That’s it, nothing else.”

William Saliba with the UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)
William Saliba with the UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)

Reports from France claim Marseille are willing to commit to €25-30m for the signing of William Saliba, and they’re expected to pursue a summer transfer.

The Ligue 1 club have been boosted by the DNCG (who are responsible for monitoring the accounts of French football clubs) removing their previous restrictions on spending, and Saliba is understandably a top target for them.

But Arsenal are not interested in selling Saliba at this stage, and it looks like they’re actually trying to extend his stay.

L’Equipe reported earlier this month that Arteta had told Saliba he’ll be counting on him next season, and Arsenal were talking about the possibility of a contract extension. Wheatley’s update suggests those conversations are going well.

Saliba made 51 appearances for Marseille last season, winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award and becoming a France international.