Manchester United made contact with William Saliba before agreeing contract extension

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News broke last week that Arsenal had finally reached an agreement with William Saliba over a new long-term contract.

The Gunners had been in talks with Saliba over a new deal for a number of months with Arsenal desperate to keep their star centre-back at the club. On Sunday the news finally broke that an agreement had been reached over a new long-term contract with the announcement expected to come after Saliba returns from his holidays ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

William Saliba has agreed to a new contract keep him in North London until 2027, with his current deal expiring at the end of next season. It was one of Arsenal’s priorities this summer so getting it done so early is a big positive for Mikel Arteta and everyone else at the club.

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Arsenal had to fight off competition to keep the Frenchman at the Emirates Stadium, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United two clubs who were trying to persuade the 21-year-old away from the Gunners. However William Saliba always wanted to stay at Arsenal, where’s he built a promising centre-back partnership with Gabriel this season, and now his journey in North London is set to continue.

Manchester United made contact with William Saliba’s representatives over a potential move if the Frenchman wasn’t to renew his contract at Arsenal. However it never got any further than that as the 21-year-old always wanted to stay in North London and continue under Mikel Arteta.

William Saliba was a huge part of Arsenal’s title charge during the 2022/23 campaign which is why extending his contract was such a big priority for the club this summer.

The Frenchman injured his lower back in mid February and Arsenal ended up crumbling towards the end of the Premier League season which ultimately handed Manchester City their third Premier League title in a row. The story could have been very different if William Saliba stayed fit until May…

Arsenal’s record in the Premier League with/without William Saliba during the 2022/23 campaign…

Signing him down to a new long-term contract is one of the best bits of business Arsenal will do all summer. pic.twitter.com/UWV8M6g4tP

— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) June 10, 2023

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