Mikel Arteta says he is hopeful that Arsenal can reach an agreement to extend William Saliba’s contract in the near future.
The defender is heading into the final year of his deal and has played a key role in the Gunners’ title challenge this season, playing 27 times in the Premier League before a back injury suffered against Sporting in the Europa League forced him into a spell on the sidelines.
And the Arsenal boss says the club are trying to agree a new contract with the 22-year-old, and believes both sides want to get a deal done.
“We are trying,” Arteta said.
“We are having conversations and we are trying to maintain the talent that we have at the club, as I said before.
“But, yeah, things take time. You have to agree. There are different parties involved and I think everybody’s intention is the same and hopefully we’ll find the right solution.”
Manchester City could confirm themselves as Premier League champions this weekend if they beat Chelsea or if Arsenal drop points against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
But the Gunners boss says that, despite losing their lead at the top of the table, his team deserves enormous credit for pushing City until the end.
“We have shown this season and we are still there. There are two games to go, we can still be champions against probably the best team in the history of the Premier League, for 10 months,” he said.
“And we are still there. Two games to go, we are still there and we’re not going to bottle that. That’s for sure.
“What happens next season, it will depend a lot on what we do, how we evolve and how we start. But that prediction is very difficult to do today.
“That team has the capacity to win 105 points, 110 points if they want. They haven’t done that this season because of the level of that league. And we’ve been there with them toe to toe for 10 months.”
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