Arsenal have opened talks with midfielder Mohamed Elneny over extending his contract with the club amid links to Newcastle United.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that Arsenal have started negotiations to try and keep Elneny in North London.
The Egyptian midfielder is out of contract this summer and is currently set to leave the club on a free.
However, Arsenal have started talks and are now thought to be hopeful of keeping Elneny after all.
Signed from Basel in January 2016, Elneny cost Arsenal just £5million and you can’t really argue with his input at that price.
Elneny may not have reached the heights of Mohamed Salah – another Egyptian former Basel man – but he has recorded almost 150 appearances for Arsenal.
It looked like the 29-year-old was being phased out at Arsenal and would be allowed to leave Arsenal for nothing.
Yet with Thomas Partey out injured, Elneny has come back into the fold and is now starting for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Elneny isn’t the most glamorous midfielder of all time but he is hard-working and combative – two attributes that Arsenal have needed with Partey out.
Elneny has stepped up and impressed of late, even being branded ‘fantastic’ by Gunners legend Ian Wright after his display against Leeds United.
It maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that Arteta wants to keep Elneny.
Agent Alan Nazmy has suggested that Arteta rejected all offers for Elneny in January – including from Newcastle United.
Newcastle may have been waiting to sign Elneny on a free transfer this summer after the January snub, but the Gunners are now ready to block that idea.
Elneny staying surely wouldn’t rule out Arsenal signing another midfielder this summer, with the Egyptian likely to only be staying as competition.
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