Arsenal defender William Saliba has agreed a five-year contract, sources have told ESPN.
The France international is yet to sign the deal, but, first reported by the Athletic, he has agreed terms on the three-year extension in the belief that Arsenal is the right club at this stage in his career.
The deal is a blow to Real Madrid, who were monitoring Saliba’s situation as they are looking for a centre-back amid the uncertain futures of David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger.
Sources said the LaLiga giants rated Saliba ahead of Liverpool‘s Ibrahima Konaté, although any move would now seem highly unlikely due to the 24-year-old’s new long-term contract.
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Saliba joined Arsenal at 18 years old before making loan moves to Saint-Étienne, Nice and Marseille. Since establishing himself in the Arsenal first-team, he has made 139 appearances for the club and been a crucial part of Mikel Arteta’s years-long rebuild.
He has helped Arsenal compete for the Premier League title in recent seasons, as well as making a stellar start this campaign in which the north London club are second with 10 points from their first five games.
Information from ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez contributed to this report.
