Aaron Ramsdale close to new long-term Arsenal contract

Aaron Ramsdale is close to agreeing a new long-term contract with Arsenal, sources have told ESPN.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper has two years remaining on his existing deal but the club were keen to reward him for a prominent role in their unexpected Premier League title push with a significant improvement on his £60,000-a-week ($75,735) agreement.

Ramsdale has started all 35 league games this season, keeping 13 clean sheets -- only Manchester United's David de Gea (15) has registered a higher number.

He excelled once again in Sunday's 2-0 win at Newcastle United which moved Arsenal to within one point of leaders Manchester City, albeit having played a game more. A formal announcement over Ramsdale's deal is expected soon and his rise to prominence is a dramatic shift from the negativity around his move in the summer of 2021.

Ramsdale arrived from Sheffield United for an initial £24 million ($30.29m) only to face a backlash from some supporters. The goalkeeper later said he turned the comments off on his Instagram and Twitter posts to cut out the online trolls with idiots telling me not to sign, threats trying to scare me saying 'we know where you live.

However, Ramsdale quickly usurped Bernd Leno as first-choice and won Arsenal supporters over with his energy, enthusiasm and quality -- a transformation aided further by the goalkeeper and his father, Nick, becoming stars of the Amazon: All or Nothing documentary on Arsenal released last year.

Ramsdale has also become an England international since joining Arsenal, earning three caps to date, and Arsenal are keen to tie down the core of their squad with winger Bukayo Saka also on the brink of agreeing a fresh contract. ESPN reported in February that an agreement was near and sources have said the club are likely to confirm the 21-year-old's new deal before the end of the season.

With Gabriel Martinelli also tied down to a new contract, the club are in advanced talks with centre-back William Saliba over fresh terms. ESPN reported in January that Arsenal were stepping up talks with Saliba after he had rejected their most recent offer but manager Mikel Arteta offered a much more upbeat prognosis when speaking about the situation last Friday.

Obviously [technical director] Edu and the board are on top of every negotiation regarding new contracts and now we are doing everything we possibly can to do that in the right moment at the right time, he said. The communication and the relationship is super. It is about timing, I think. Nothing else.