Arsenal are now ‘working on’ a new contract for William Saliba, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Negotiations ongoing

The Frenchman only returned to England over the summer following his loan spell with Marseille and has taken the Premier League by storm ever since.

The Athletic recently claimed that the Gunners are in negotiations with the 21-year-old over fresh terms, with his current deal set to expire in just over 18 months' time.

Whilst no agreement has yet been reached, Romano has provided a positive update on the talented prospect’s future at the Emirates Stadium.

The Latest: Arsenal targeting new contracts

Taking to Twitter, the Italian confirmed that Arsenal have now made it their ‘priority’ to tie down Saliba to fresh terms, in addition to finalising new contracts for fellow young stars Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

He wrote: “Arsenal already extended Gabriel’s contract until 2027 after rejecting 2 approaches in July — now working on Saliba’s new deal as main priority alongside Saka and Martinelli.”

The Verdict: Fully deserved

Arsenal rewarding Saliba with a fresh contract would be nothing less than he deserves given the instant impact he has made on Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.

Hailed as a ‘monster’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 6 foot 3 colossus is averaging 2.8 clearances per game and has a pass success rate of 92.1%, with two goals and an assist to his name as well (WhoScored).

Only Gabriel has a higher clearances average among Arteta's squad, while no other player with more than two league starts can boast a better passing completion rate than Saliba (WhoScored).

The World Cup is just around the corner and he will no doubt be attracting interest should he make the France squad for the finals, which seems likely given that he played in all but one of their UEFA Nations League matches this year.

Therefore, Edu should aim to get the contract situation sorted before the international break.