The Athletic journalist David Ornstein has cooled speculation suggesting Arsenal centre-half William Saliba is set to sign a new contract.

The France international has less than two years remaining on his current deal at the Emirates, but there were reports last week that claimed the Gunners were close to agreeing a three-year extension with the player. However, Ornstein says the defender is not interested in holding talks about his future at the moment:

“It takes two to tango. So whether Arsenal want to tie him down to a new deal, Saliba’s got to want it as well. I think the ‘will’ will be there for Arsenal to get the deal done. But I don’t think he’ll be in a rush to get to the negotiating table so soon after he wasn’t part of the plans.”

“We were being told he was part of the future but not part of the immediate plans. So you don’t just click your fingers and say ‘come on, let’s strike a deal’. He’s said to be wanted and I’m sure he’s admired by some of the biggest clubs in football.”

It’s not an entirely surprising update from Ornstein. Saliba was pretty much sidelined by Arteta during his first two and half years at the club, initially relegating the centre-back to the reserves before sending him out on two loan spells to Nice and Marseille.

While Arteta will argue that the 21-year-old wasn’t ready for the Premier League, the player clearly didn’t see it that way, going by some of the comments he made. Of course, if he continues to be a regular starter for Arsenal, he may yet reconsider his contract stance.