Arsenal are willing to increase William Saliba's wages in a bid to tie him down to a new deal, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The French international has played just seven times for the Gunners, but he has already entered the final 18 months of his Emirates Stadium terms, which has raised doubts over his long-term future.

What's the latest news involving Saliba?

Saliba made the £27m switch to Arsenal from St Etienne back in 2019, but after a succession of loan spells back in France, he was only considered as an option by Mikel Arteta ahead of this season.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

But the 21-year-old has already repaid the faith shown by Arteta after making a scintillating start to his first campaign in the Premier League.

Saliba has played every minute in the top-flight, registering two goals and one assist, which has helped Arteta's side emerge as shock league leaders.

According to 90min, Arsenal are already 'pushing hard' to secure Saliba's future on a long-term basis and Brown reckons the north Londoners would be prepared to increase his wages to convince him to stick around.

What did Brown say about Saliba?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "I think from Arsenal's point of view, they do know there is interest in him, and they would like to make sure that he's tied down for the longer term if only to protect their investment.

"I can't see Arsenal suddenly turning around and selling Saliba, but I do think that they want him on a longer contract, and they're willing to give him a pay rise to do that."

How much does Saliba currently earn?

According to Sportrac, the young centre-back currently takes home £40,000 every week, making him one of the lowest paid players in the Arsenal squad.

And while he might be just seven games into his Gunners career, it's becoming hard to argue that he hasn't already warranted a pay rise.

Meanwhile, having been called up to the France squad ahead of this week's internationals, Saliba is targeting a starting place at the World Cup, and judging by his early-season form, he's got every right to be doing so.

Therefore, Arsenal should reward him with a contract extension and a wage increase, so he doesn't even get tempted to consider offers from elsewhere.