Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Arsenal shatter three Prem rivals’ dreams after striking agreement with electric winger on incredible terms

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, during a Europa League press conference

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta

Arsenal have struck an agreement in principle with an in-demand winger who’s successfully negotiated far superior terms to what were originally on offer, per reports.

The Gunners may have fallen short down the stretch, though Mikel Arteta and co are determined to double down on the progress they’ve made this season.

Indeed, the Times recently reported a £170m double move for Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo has been greenlit by Arsenal chiefs.

While a subsequent update confirmed personal terms are agreed with Caicedo, the latest on Rice suggests Arsenal might be beaten to the punch by Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere, Arsenal must retain those already at their disposal amid mounting interest from rival clubs.

Centre-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are both wanted at PSG who recently confirmed Sergio Ramos will leave as a free agent.

Elsewhere, winger Reiss Nelson was understood to have been in discussions over a new contract after twice rejecting offers from Arsenal.

The club’s first two offers are believed to have been shorter-term affairs with regards to contract length. Per the Daily Mail, Nelson rejected both and amid interest from Aston Villa, Brighton and Fulham, an exit looked increasingly likely.

However according to both the Mail and Fabrizio Romano, Nelson is now set to remain at the Emirates for the long haul. What’s more, he and his camp have managed to negotiate far more lucrative terms.

Indeed, the Mail reported Arsenal have made a ‘breakthrough’ in talks and Nelson has ‘agreed in principle’ to extend his stay.

While the original offers didn’t contain much by the way of contract length, the report adds the new deal will run for four years. Romano reported there’ll also be a club option for a fifth season, meaning Nelson’s future will be in Arsenal’s hands until 2028.

What’s more, the Mail add Nelson, 23, will now pocket ‘significantly more’ than his current £60,000-a-week salary. Exactly how much he’ll earn wasn’t stated, though the terms were described as ‘bumper’.

Romano provided a brief update on the story, simply tweeting two hourglass egg timer emotes to signal Nelson’s new deal is only a matter of time.

Remaining with Arsenal has always been Nelson’s preferred outcome and after ramping up their offer, the end is now in sight. Barring any last-minute hiccups, the deal will cross the line.

Nelson can have huge effect on Bukayo Saka

Nelson only racked up a total of 590 minutes of action across all competitions this season. However, he more than made his mark in a campaign that was ravaged by injury.

Indeed, the right winger returned a goal contribution every 40 minutes in the Premier League and famously scored the last-gasp winner against Bournemouth on March 4.

Nelson must contend with the formidable Bukayo Saka when it comes to securing regular minutes.

However, Saka once again faded badly down the stretch for the second straight season, providing just two goals and one assist over Arsenal’s last 10 games.

But with Nelson now set to sign a long-term deal, Arteta may be willing to chop and change his right wingers more frequently to ensure Saka stays fresh for a full campaign.

READ MORE: Shock twist in Declan Rice saga with European giants ‘close’ to signing; Arsenal left red-faced