Mikel Arteta has dropped the strongest hint yet that he will sign a new contract with Arsenal by insisting he does not “predict any problems” when negotiations get underway.
The 42-year-old's current contract expires in the summer of 2025 and negotiations were initially expected to take place at the end of last season.
However, all parties have prioritised planning for the upcoming campaign and Arteta has assembled nine players who will not be involved in either Euro 2024 or the Copa America for a summer training camp in Marbella.
Speaking to ESPN from the Spanish city in an exclusive interview, Arteta said: “There is no update [on his contract] Right now, what hasn't changed is how happy I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this club.
“Things happen naturally and our relationship is so good that I don't think there will be any problems. But things have to evolve in the right way and they will.”
Asked if clarity over his future would help demonstrate stability for future signings, Arteta continued: “I understand that, but the focus now is 'OK, how can we improve things in the team, how can we improve things now in the transfer window that we have'. We have time to sit down and discuss that.”
Arsenal are monitoring Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori closely, sources have told ESPN, but have yet to make any further moves in the transfer market.
The north London club had been interested in Benjamin Sesko before the Slovenian striker signed a new contract to remain at RB Leipzig.
Asked if Arsenal were in the market for another attacking player, Arteta said: “We are looking to improve in every possible way. With the new regulations, there are certain things we have to respect and take into account and obviously the Euros and Copa America are slowing everything down. Hopefully, it will improve a bit now because we have things to do and we will try to provide that.”
“[How active do we expect to be?] “I think both ways. There are things we need to improve, that's for sure and we're going to try to do that. But the market is tough. We've been very aggressive, we're very determined and we have a clear idea of what we want to do. It's all going to come down to finding the right deals at the right time.”
Arsenal will begin their pre-season against Bournemouth on July 24.
Arteta's side will then head to Los Angeles later this month, where they will face Manchester United at SoFi Stadium on July 27 and then Liverpool in Philadelphia on July 31.
