Arsenal have begun negotiations with right-back Ben White over a new-and-improved deal, according to a report.
Over the past year, the Gunners have secured the long-term futures of several key youngsters, namely Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Aaron Ramsdale.
Squad players in Reiss Nelson and Mohamed Elneny have also extended their contracts with Mikel Arteta's side, who remain determined to tie more core players down to long-term renewals.
Following confirmation of Odegaard's new contract last month, Arsenal are believed to have turned their attention to discussions with White and his fellow full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have now opened talks with England international White, and there is confidence from all sides that an agreement can be reached quickly.
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Arsenal shelled out £50m to prise White away from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2021, and he has since established a reputation as one of the Gunners' most consistent performers.
Initially starting out as a centre-back, White has since thrived as Arteta's first-choice right-back, registering three goals and five assists in 94 matches for the club in all tournaments.
All but one of the 25-year-old's contributions came in the 2022-23 Premier League season, where he did not miss a single game as Arsenal finished second in the table behind Manchester City.
White has remained an integral member of the Gunners XI this season too, scoring his first goal of the new term in Saturday's 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The defender's current terms do not expire until the summer of 2026, and he is thought to already earn £120,000 a week in North London, but he will pocket a bumper pay rise as a reward for his stellar displays.
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Arteta has supposedly been a big advocate for White to be handed a new contract on account of his consistent displays across the backline, and his versatility is also admired by the Gunners boss.
Furthermore, the former Brighton and Leeds United man is understood to be settled in North London, and his priority is to find an agreement to extend his Gunners contract.
Despite his success in Arsenal colours, White has been overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate since the 2022 World Cup, where he left the camp early due to an unspecified personal issue and did not return to Qatar.
Since then, White has failed to make each of the last three England squads, and it remains to be seen if he will be included in Southgate's selection - which will be announced at 2pm on Thursday - for October's clashes against Australia and Italy.
The 25-year-old came off the bench for the final 19 minutes of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Lens, where Arsenal were consigned to their first loss of the campaign in a 2-1 Group B defeat.
Ben Knapton
