Arsenal Ready to Offer New Contract to David Luiz on Reduced Terms
By Tom Gott
Arsenal are eager to keep centre-back David Luiz at the Emirates Stadium next season, but only if the Brazilian is ready to accept reduced terms.
The 33-year-old is currently set to to become a free agent this summer after it was revealed that he was only signed on a one-year deal, and Arsenal's option to automatically extend his contract expired during football's suspension.
Agent Kia Joorabchian recently insisted there was a 'very high chance' that Luiz would extend his stay at the club, and that viewpoint is backed up by The Mirror, who state that Arsenal are looking to tie Luiz down to fresh terms in the near future.
He is currently earning £130,000-a-week, but with the current financial uncertainty and Arsenal's desire to trim their wage budget, it is expected that Luiz will be offered reduced terms which will include the chance to earn more through appearances and incentives.
With 19-year-old William Saliba set to move to the Emirates this summer, there had been speculation that older defenders like Luiz could be moved on to usher in a new era, but manager Mikel Arteta is understood to be eager to keep the Brazilian around for his veteran leadership.
Arteta has also been impressed with Luiz's performances on the pitch and he is now hopeful that a deal can be thrashed out quickly.
A return to Benfica has been rumoured to be a possibility for Luiz, especially after he admitted speaking to his former employers, but club president Luís Filipe Vieira revealed (via Record) that such a deal would be impossible.
Agent Joorabchian also moved to dismiss a move to Benfica in an interview with Sky Sports News, saying: "What [Luiz] said was, 'if the opportunity arose in the future - before I retire - I could go back to Benfica and finish my career where I started it'. But he never mentioned about wanting to go back to Benfica now."
Luiz managed 32 appearances in all competitions before football was postponed, and after an undoubtedly rocky start to his life at the Emirates, Arteta's arrival appears to have helped Luiz settle down.
Before the Premier League was suspended, Arsenal found themselves on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league which included a 2-0 win over Manchester United and a 2-2 draw with Luiz's former side Chelsea, although his early red card against the latter didn't exactly help things.
That run of form has helped Arsenal up to ninth in the league table, and they are now just three points behind Wolverhampton Wanderers in sixth. Arteta's side even have a game in hand, but that will come against Manchester City when the league restarts on 17 June.