Gabriel Martinelli is reportedly ready to demand £200,000 per week in order to sign a new contract at Arsenal.
In his first three years at the Emirates Stadium, Martinelli rarely held down a starting role on a regular basis, instead making outings from the substitutes' bench as well as the first XI.
However, the 21-year-old is now regarded as a star man at the Gunners, starting each of the club's nine Premier League fixtures this campaign.
A total of four goals and two assists have come from those appearances, his latest effort being one strike and one assist during a 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
With Arsenal still sitting at the top of the Premier League table ahead of Manchester City, they must now mix focusing on that pursuit with ensuring that they tie down some of their key players in the long term.
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Martinelli falls into that category with his contract at the North Londoners due to expire at the end of 2023-24, putting him in a bracket where other top clubs will be monitoring the situation.
Nevertheless, according to the Daily Mail, the relevant parties are some way apart from successfully negotiating fresh terms for the playmaker.
The report suggests that Martinelli would like to almost treble his wages, taking them from £70,000 per week to in the region of £200,000.
Furthermore, it is claimed that an agreement is not close to completion and the situation could be dragged out if a compromise cannot be reached.
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Despite the report, Martinelli recently acknowledged that he wants to pen a long-term deal with Arsenal as soon as possible.
As quoted by The Mirror, the attacker said: "I think it's my best season here at Arsenal. I'm so happy for this moment.
"Of course, I want to stay. We are talking. Let's see what is going to happen. But I want to stay, of course."
Arsenal have similar situations with other key players with the deals of William Saliba, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka also due to expire in 2024.
Darren Plant
