According to an exclusive report by TA's chief reporter David Ornstein on Thursday, French center-back William Saliba has reached an agreement with Arsenal on a contract extension. The two sides are expected to formally sign a five-year contract in the coming days, valid until June 30, 2030.

Saliba's current contract was originally scheduled to expire in 2027, but Arsenal had already started contract renewal negotiations as early as May. Fabrizio Romano also revealed in his personal blog last week that Arsenal had submitted an improved contract proposal to Saliba in recent weeks, which included a more generous salary package and a greater leadership role.

The 24-year-old Saliba came from the Saint-Étienne youth training and transferred to Arsenal for 30 million euros in June 2019. He was then loaned to Saint-Étienne, Nice and Marseille for two consecutive seasons before gradually establishing himself as a starter at Arsenal in 2022.

So far, Saliba has made 139 appearances for Arsenal, scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists, and won the Community Shield twice with the team.

As for the national team, Saliba has played 28 times for France so far, including the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 European Cup.

With the contract extension agreement reached, Real Madrid's possibility of signing Saliba at a low price next summer has been completely shattered. They had previously regarded Saliba as a key transfer target and continued to monitor the progress of the player's contract renewal negotiations with Arsenal.