William Saliba has dropped a hint over his immediate Arsenal future amid contract fears

William Saliba has dropped a major hint regarding his future at Arsenal, amid concerns surrounding a new deal.

Saliba has enjoyed a breakout season under Mikel Arteta, announcing himself as one of the Premier League's stand out defenders.

But a back injury he suffered against Sporting Lisbon in March has hampered his progress.

In the Frenchman's absence, Arsenal have seen Manchester City overtake them in the league standings, with the Gunners' title hopes slipping from their grasp.

To add to concern, Saliba is yet to sign a new contract at the Emirates, with his current deal due to expire in 2024, after the club triggered the option to extend his stay by a further year.

While transfer expert David Ornstein provided a worrying update on the situation last month.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's Youtube channel Five, Ornstein revealed: "We haven't heard any evidence to suggest there's an agreement close or in place yet for that [Saliba's contract].

"It kind of underlines his importance since he's been out and that may play into the contract negotiation, but for the time being it's a player that Arsenal are going to have to do without [due to injury]," he added.

However, following a short snoop around social media, Saliba would appear to be planning his long-term future in north London.

Saliba drops hint over Arsenal future

French retailer Sport-Protech posted a series of pictures on Instagram showing them installing a new home gym at Saliba's house in London, suggesting the 22-year-old has no plans to relocate this summer.

The project features a treadmill, exercise bike, and bench press alongside a framed picture of Michael Jordan and another one of the Peaky Blinders' Shelby brothers.

It remains to be seen whether Saliba will return to action before the end of the season, with Arteta keeping his cards typicaly close to his chest.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's 3-1 victory over Chelsea, the Arsenal boss said: "He's not going to be involved tomorrow. We will have to wait until the next game to see where we are."

The Gunners face Newcastle next in the Premier League, and require all three points if they are to stand any chance of pipping Pep Guardiola's side to the title.

Topics: Arsenal, William Saliba, Mikel Arteta, Football, Premier League

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno