Ben White is expected to sign a new deal with the Gunners (Picture: Getty Images)
Negotiations are ongoing between Ben White and Arsenal over a new contract for the defender, with both sides confident that an agreement will be reached.
The 26-year-old signed for the Gunners from Brighton in the summer of 2021 for £50m and has been a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s defence since then.
White was signed as a centre-back but has also impressed at right-back and has already racked up over 100 appearances for his club.
The England international is still under the contract he signed in 2021, which runs until 2026, but talks are progressing over a new deal.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that both club and player are keen to get the deal signed and are confident that they will be successful, although a final agreement has not yet been reached.
White was a surprise absentee from Arsenal’s last outing, a 3-1 win over Burnley, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta revealing that the defender had been hiding an injury.
‘Yesterday [Friday] in training he wasn’t comfortable, he didn’t look right,’ explained Arteta when asked about White’s absence against Burnley last Saturday.
‘But Ben won’t give you much. He always wants to be on the pitch and he wants to hide anything that is there.
‘But we highlighted that we noticed in the last few weeks as well something happening there and we wanted to protect him today.
‘It was the right call from the physios, the medical department, and tomorrow we will assess him and understand what’s happening.’
White will hope to be back when Arsenal return to action after the international break at Brentford on 25 November.
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