ARSENAL are in advanced talks with Ben White and are hopeful of agreeing a new deal before Christmas.
The Gunners have also opened negotiations with Takehiro Tomiyasu to extend his stay as part of manager Mikel Arteta’s long-term planning.
White, 26, has 2½ years still left to run on his contract while 25-year-old fellow defender Tomiyasu’s deal expires in 2025.
But Arteta and sporting director Edu aim to tie key stars down to fresh terms and keep the nucleus of the squad together until 2027 and beyond.
Martin Odegaard and WIlliam Saliba, along with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Aaron Ramsdale have all agreed new terms over the past year or so.
Recent signings Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko are also locked into long contracts.
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White cost £50million when he was signed from Brighton, while Japanese star Tomiyasu was a bargain £19.5m buy from Bologna when they both arrived in the summer of 2021.
Midfielder Thomas Partey’s deal runs to 2025 but the club could sell him next month.
Arsenal have spent some £600m on signings since Arteta took over four years ago.
But the feeling within the club is they now have a strong squad for the next five years and will not need to keep splashing out at such a rapid rate in the future.
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Arsenal sit top of the table and are through to the Champions League knockout stages after beating Lens 6-0.
Arteta said: “It was a genuine dream.
“We had a chance to qualify today and we’ve done it in a really convincing way against a really good side.
|The team from the beginning showed a lot of aggression and determination to go for the game.
“It’s great we’re able to win in this way and we showed at home not to concede any goals and score a lot which is a positive factor.
“The players need to believe we can do that against big opponents.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
