Arsenal could be set to make a surprise contract decision in a bid to boost Mikel Arteta's kitty ahead of this summer.
It has been known for some time that the Gunners are looking to sell Matteo Guendouzi this summer, with the Frenchman spending the 2020/21 season on loan at Hertha Berlin after he fell out of favour with Mikel Arteta towards the end of last season.
The midfielder did feature under Arteta at Arsenal, but following a confrontation with Neal Maupay against Brighton last season, the Frenchman was sent out on loan ahead of this season.
Guendouzi has spent this season on loan with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, and that could be that as far as his career at Arsenal is concerned after three years at the club.
But in a surprise move, Edu could be about to hand the midfielder a contract extension, though not for the reasons one might expect.
Guendouzi is said to be wanted by Ligue 1 club Marseille, but the French club are not exactly keen to pay out a big fee, with a figure of £8.6million being bandied about.
That is partly because they know Guendouzi only has one year remaining on his Arsenal contract, and so to get a larger transfer fee out of the midfielder, Le10 Sport claim Edu and Arsenal could trigger the extra year option.
That would put Arsenal in a stronger position to get a bigger fee and it might force Marseille to be a little more flexible on their current stance.
It would be an interesting tactic from the Gunners, and it could be one that increases Arteta's spending figure ahead of this season, as long as potential buyers do indeed pay a potentially increased fee.
In truth, other clubs are willing to be well aware of Arsenal's stance and that may weaken the north London club's position, regardless of the remaining time on the contract.
Guendouzi made 24 appearances for Hertha Berlin this season, helping them to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga.
