David Ornstein of The Athletic is reporting that Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli has now ‘signed’ a new contract which runs until 2027.
Martinelli has been a key player for the Gunners over the past couple of seasons. He was involved in 12 goals in 29 Premier League games last season.
The Brazil international has stepped up this term with seven goals and two assists in 19 league outings. His form has been key as Arsenal sit top of the Premier League.
Arsenal have been in talks to retain Martinelli as his previous contract was due to expire at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Last week, Ornstein reported that a new contract for Martinelli has been agreed. He is now reporting that this deal has been signed.
Ornstein states that this new deal ‘ties him to the club until 2027’.
Arsenal remain in talks with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, with both players due to be out of contract in 2024.
Ben Jacobs recently reported that the contract for Saliba is the ‘most complicated’ as he ‘really thought about staying at Marseille’ before this season.
‘With Saliba, that’s probably the most complicated of these three deals. The main reason for that is he really thought about staying at Marseille over the summer,’ Jacobs wrote for Caught Offside.
‘He’s now indispensable to Arsenal, and the form he’s shown, and that integration into the team, has convinced Saliba that he doesn’t need to move back to France. So now it’s just about the terms of the contract, because he can look at where Arsenal are heading, and he can look at the players he’s alongside, and can naturally ask for a bit more.
‘PSG are still one to watch in the long-term. They’re desperate to buy young, and desperate to buy French, so if no deal is signed there could be a window of opportunity there.
‘Some say Saliba wouldn’t be prepared to play for PSG having also represented OM, but remember Saliba was born in Bondy, six miles from the centre of Paris. He would absolutely be open to joining if it became an option one day.
‘Still, the advantage Arsenal have is that PSG have locked in Milan Skriniar on a free transfer for the summer, and in the last hours of January they might try to get him now, so it means they’ve got a centre-back.’
As for Saka, Jacobs has reported that ‘talks are very positive‘. Man City have been ‘monitoring’ him but ‘things are heading in the right direction and the full expectation is that Saka will stay at Arsenal’.
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