Premier League side, Arsenal, has reportedly activated a clause within Nacho Monreal’s contract to extend his deal until the end of next season.
The 32-year-old left back had entered the final year of his contract with the club at the start of this season, but head coach Unai Emery said in September he wanted the left-back tied down to a new deal.
Discussions over a longer-term contract have been put on hold for now, but the move means Monreal will not be leaving for anything at the end of the season. Several first team players are into the final six months of their contracts at the club with goalkeeper Petr Cech and injured striker Danny Welbeck heading towards the end of their respective deals.
Welsh star Aaron Ramsey is also down to the final six months of his contract, and he looks destined to see out the season before moving on for nothing in the summer. A number of top European clubs have been linked with Ramsey’s signature, including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, though, Juventus is believed to be leading the race to sign the long-serving Arsenal midfielder. Another player in the last months of his stay at Arsenal is Stephan Lichtsteiner is, though, the north London club has the option to extend his contract by a year just like Monreal.
Monreal has been with the Gunners since 2013, when the experienced left-back arrived in a £10 milllion transfer from La Liga side, Malaga. And though Sead Kolasinac has proved to be an excellent outlet in an attacking sense from the left back position, Emery prefers to use the Bosnian as a wing-back rather than a natural full-back in a flat back four. This makes Monreal contract extension a welcome development for Emery.