ARSENAL are confident Myles Lewis-Skelly will sign a long-term deal this summer.
And the Gunners full-back has cooled Real Madrid links by reiterating his love for the club and his desire to win “back-to-back” trophies in North London.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, signed his first senior contract back in October 2023.
It expires next summer – and Spanish giants Madrid are reportedly monitoring the situation, having already snapped up Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool on a free transfer.
But SunSport understands the club are calm over talks, which began in January, and hope to finalise the terms of his new bumper deal before pre-season begins next month.
New sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to be taking a hands-on approach with contract extensions, needing to tie down fellow Hale End graduates Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka, as well as William Saliba and Gabriel.
And boss Mikel Arteta said in April: “The most energy we have to put in is making sure the players we have with us are happy, they feel valued, very much part of what we’re doing.”
Arteta views Lewis-Skelly as the future of the club, already making him his first-choice left-back after a stunning breakthrough campaign for the teenager that saw him make his Prem debut in September before scoring on his senior England debut in March.
Such is his faith in Lewis-Skelly, Arteta has let Kieran Tierney, 27, leave on a free back to Celtic this summer and is open to selling Oleksandr Zinchenko, 28, with Borussia Dortmund interested.
Lewis-Skelly – alongside his first team pal Nwaneri, 18 – has also never hid his love for Arsenal as a boyhood fan, and recently revealed his ambitions for next term.
Going five years without silverware and a third-successive second-place Prem finish, he said: “We just want to win, to make that jump to win a trophy, back-to-back trophies.”
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He continued: “Without Hale End, we wouldn’t be here. It’s everything… the friendships, the values.
“I am a fan of the club, so I was growing up watching them on TV, going to the games. In your mind you’re always wanting to get where [the first team] is at.”
Midfielder Nwaneri is also holding talks with Arsenal over an extension, having signed his first professional deal in March 2024 after working his way through the academy from the age of nine alongside Lewis-Skelly.
Nwaneri is expected to receive a hefty rise in wages, as is Lewis-Skelly, having proved himself to be one of the most exciting teenage attackers in Europe.
Having made 37 appearances in all competitions this term – 16 of those starts – and scoring nine goals, Nwaneri has been happy with his involvement under Arteta and trusts the Spaniard with his development.
However, there will need to be discussions over Nwaneri’s role next year, both in terms of position and regularity.
Arteta is currently linked with bids for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
During Bukayo Saka’s three-month absence from December following hamstring surgery, Nwaneri deputised on the right wing, but can also play as a false nine and No10.
Despite the £51m midfield arrival of Martin Zubimendi, Arteta will view Nwaneri as an integral squad member whose flexibility and all-round ability is highly valued.
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