£50m Arsenal star 'signs new long-term contract' following extensive talks

Ben White looks set to commit his long-term future to Arsenal with reports suggesting he has signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates.

White is currently tied down until 2026 after signing an initial five-year deal when arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021. Arsenal did have the option to extend that for a further 12 months but have seemingly opted to go further.

The Athletic's David Ornstein reports that following extensive talks between club and player, White has put pen to paper on a fresh contract which is expected to reflect his growing importance within the squad. Ornstein adds that an official announcement is expected by the end of this week.

White has been one of Arsenal's most consistent performers this season and is enjoying life at right-back. The 26-year-old has featured in 39 of the Gunners' 40 matches across all competitions and has more minutes under his belt than all but three of his teammates - those being William Saliba, Gabriel and Declan Rice.

Since making that £50million move from Brighton in July 2021, White has excelled at right-back and that has allowed regular minutes, with central defence occupied by the ever-present Gabriel and Saliba. He has even chipped in with a few important attacking moments in recent weeks, setting up both goals in the 2-1 win against Brentford last weekend.

Asked about White's contract situation earlier in the season, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: "We are always trying to keep the squad in a healthy position in any way, and the club and Edu especially are working on that."

The news will come as a major boost for Arsenal at a crucial point of the season, having just progressed past FC Porto in their Champions League last-16 tie, via a penalty shootout. The Gunners will go into the March international break top of the Premier League after seeing Liverpool and Manchester City draw last weekend.