'Very advanced': Fabrizio Romano drops Arsenal update which is a 'priority' for Gunners

Arsenal have done very well on the player contract front in recent months, tying their stars down to long-term deals.

This used to be a weakness for the Gunners, who had a bad habit of allowing their top talents to enter the final year of their contracts some years ago.

Arsenal have clearly put this right, and are now moving swiftly and decisively to retain their biggest assets, which is key both on the pitch and in the market.

William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have all penned new deals with the Gunners across the last 12 months.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are likely to be the next Arsenal stars to sign new contracts and, according to Fabrizio Romano, discussions are “very advanced”.

Arsenal on the right track for new Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White contracts

The transfer insider told GiveMeSport that the Gunners defensive duo were high up on the list of renewal priorities at the Emirates Stadium.

“The negotiation is advanced with both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu,” began Romano.

“During the transfer window it’s also normal that sometimes for the clubs it is not easy to meet with the agents of these players and complete these deals because they are busy with something else, maybe with outgoings, maybe with loans, maybe with new signings.

“So it’s also normal to see this kind of standby in the negotiation but it’s already very advanced. I think for Arsenal it’s a priority.

“They’re showing for a long time how important it is for them to extend the contracts of their crucial players and they keep thinking that Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are going to be the next ones.”

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It’s great to hear from Romano that Arsenal are on the right track with regards to White and Tomiyasu’s contracts.

White has been a revelation for the Gunners since his £50million move from Brighton in the summer of 2021, with 112 appearances to his name.

The 26-year-old’s current contract runs until the summer of 2026, so it’s important for Arsenal to look to tie it down as it edges into its final two years.

While Tomiyasu hasn’t been as much of a regular starter, he has still been a very useful member of Mikel Arteta‘s squad.

The 25-year-old, whose contract runs until 2025 with a year’s option, has made 73 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners since joining three years ago.

Hopefully it won’t be long before they officially put pen to paper, but it’s still reassuring that everything seems to be going to plan.