Mikel Arteta says contract negotiations remain ongoing with Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and William Saliba.
The pair’s current deals are due to expire at the end of the 2026/2027 season, but Arteta says he isn’t worried about either player committing their future to the club.
“That (negotiations) never stops. But I think the collaboration between the club and what (sporting director) Andrea (Berta) is doing and the agent is very, very, very good,” Arteta said.
“I think the good thing is that the players want to remain here and they want to be a big part of the history of this club in the next few years. And that's always positive. And Andrea will drive that and see where we go.”
Berta, who replaced Edu as Arsenal’s sporting director last season, has already wrapped up new contracts for Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes.
However, securing the futures of arguably Arsenal’s two most important players in Saliba and Saka will be his biggest achievement yet.
Arsenal are confident of agreeing bumper long-term deals with both, but know that a failure to be proactive in negotiations will entice other clubs to register an interest.
Saliba and Saka, who have both been dealing with injuries of late, are vital to Arteta’s plans and the Arsenal boss said it was “very good news” to have Saliba back in training ahead of his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The French centre-back was substituted just five minutes into Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, having rolled his ankle warming up, but Arteta confirmed he was potentially in contention for selection against Forest despite reports claiming that he was set for a month out.
“William trained today, so we have a decision to make whether we play him or not,” Arteta said on Friday. “It’s very good news.”
Saka, meanwhile, remains sidelined with another hamstring injury suffered against Leeds last month but is making positive progress.
“Bukayo is out,” Arteta said. “He’s trying to get back as quick as possible, but we need to respect that.
“He's evolving really well with very specific work at the moment, and the moment that we increase that load, let's see how he reacts.”
Arsenal are hoping to get back to winning ways against a Forest team now managed by former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, having lost ground in the title race following their defeat at Anfield.
