Arsenal have reportedly made a formal offer of a new contract to centre-back William Saliba.
The 21-year-old is finally enjoying a breakthrough season in North London, three years after signing from Saint-Etienne for a £27m fee in the summer of 2019.
Saliba has been loaned out to Les Verts, Nice and Marseille in that time and won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year after helping the latter finish second and qualify for the Champions League last season.
Marseille's desire to keep Saliba on a permanent basis was well-documented, but the France international opted to remain at Arsenal and try to make a name for himself with the Gunners.
Saliba has immediately become a mainstay of the backline alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, and Arsenal are now determined to agree a contract extension with the youngster.
Saliba's existing deal only runs until the end of the current campaign, but Arsenal do possess an option to trigger a 12-month extension until the summer of 2024.
Mikel Arteta has already confirmed that talks are ongoing with Saliba's entourage, and The Athletic now reports that the club have made a renewal offer to the Frenchman.
The report claims that preliminary discussions have now turned into formal negotiations, but as things stand there has been no agreement over a new contract for Saliba.
However, the two parties will continue talking in the hope of thrashing out an agreement, as Saliba is not short of potential suitors from big clubs in Europe.
The former Saint-Etienne youngster has started all 12 Premier League fixtures for Arsenal this season, scoring two goals and setting up one more, as well as making two appearances in the Europa League.
Saliba's efforts have helped Arsenal pick up 31 points from their opening 12 games to storm to the top of the table, keeping five Premier League clean sheets in the process.
Arsenal have already tied Saliba's centre-back partner Gabriel down to a new long-term deal until the summer of 2027, and extensions for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also in the pipeline.
Saka's deal runs out in the summer of 2024, but both player and manager are confident that he will commit his future to his boyhood club in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Martinelli - another indispensable youngster in Arteta's ranks - sees his contract expire in 2024, but the Gunners can also activate a one-year extension with the Brazilian starlet.
Martinelli has also revealed that talks are ongoing regarding a new contract, but he is rumoured to want as much as £200k per week with his fresh terms. body check tags ::
