Arsenal are in talks over a move that will smash records currently held at the club.
The Gunners have had a steady start to the season, having picked up three wins and a draw from a difficult opening five fixtures after an unprecedented spending spree that saw eight new first-teamers join the club.
But after a change behind the scenes on the board, Arsenal are refusing to rest on their laurels – and owners Kroenke Sports Entertainment (KSE) appear more focused than ever to deliver on their investment.
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Arsenal committed over £250 million on the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Ebere Eze and Martin Zubimendi over the summer, tooling manager Mikel Arteta with the depth that he didn’t have last season, when the Gunners finished second for a third season in a row.
In recent days, director Richard Garlick has been promoted to CEO with vice-chair Tim Lewis departing the club, with several KSE aids joining the club and co-chairman Josh Kroenke perhaps taking a more active role behind the scenes.
Josh Kroenke (right) has been a part of a reshuffle at board level (Image credit: Getty)
The Mail revealed that Kroenke had a “crucial influence” in the ambitious signing of Eze before greenlighting the move, and now, according to transfer expert Dean Jones, Arsenal are investing further by tying down William Saliba to what could be a historic move.
TEAMtalk are relaying Jones’ comments that the North Londoners are preparing a contract for the Frenchman – ranked at no.2 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best centre-backs in the world right now – that would see him become the club’s record earner, seeing off interest from Real Madrid with two years left on his current deal.
“Arsenal remain determined to tie William Saliba down to a new long-term contract, and from what I have been hearing, they have been ready to push the limits of their wage structure to make it happen,” Jones explained, suggesting that the Gunners could offer around £300,000-a-week.
FourFourTwo understands that former record signing Mesut Ozil extended his contract in 2018 for three years for around £350,000-a-week – but given that Saliba would be signing a longer-term deal, the defender’s deal could be worth over £20m more, and would thus break the record for the biggest contract ever awarded to a Gunner.
William Saliba is set for a steep wage increase (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to Capology, Kai Havertz is currently the biggest earner at the Emirates Stadium on £280,000-a-week, with Saliba seventh on the list with a base salary of £195,000-a-week.
The 24-year-old is worth €80m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal play Newcastle United when Premier League action returns next weekend.
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