Arsenal plan to hand long-term deal to defender?

Arsenal are reportedly planning to hand a new contract to William Saliba following his impressive progress.

The Frenchman has yet to make a competitive appearance for the club, having spent time on loan with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.

The 20-year-old is currently with the latter of those teams where he has excelled. He has been a regular in the team of the week.

According to The Sun, the north London giants are now preparing to reward him with a long-term contract during the summer.

Saliba will soon enter the final two years of his contract, but he is said to be determined to prove his credentials with the Gunners.

Meanwhile, manager Mikel Arteta is also prepared to integrate him into the squad, having previously said that he is not ready.

The Gunners currently have just three specialist centre-backs in the form of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding.

Pablo Mari is presently away on loan at Udinese, but is widely expected to be sold when the transfer window reopens in July.