Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has revealed he is yet to discuss a new contract with the Gunners, adding that he is keeping all of his options open.
The 29-year-old's current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2023 and Arsenal usually like to try and ensure their players do not enter the final two years of their contracts so as to avoid any risk of them leaving for free.
By that logic, it should be Leno's turn for a new contract, and while the goalkeeper confessed he would be open to staying at the Emirates, he did his best to leave the door open to a potential move away.
When asked if there had been talks, he replied (via Arsenal's official website): "Not yet and at the moment it's not the time to speak about the future. I know that I still have two years left on my contract and I'm also 29. For a goalkeeper, that's not too old. I've still got some years to go.
"I'm very happy at the club. I don't know what will come in the future, but I'm open to everything. Maybe for a new adventure or to stay at Arsenal. Like I said, I don't think about my future because two years is a long time. At the moment there are no conversations with the club or anything else."
The idea of preventing players from entering the final two years of their contracts was brought in by former head of football Raul Sanllehi, who was left concerned by star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang approaching the final months of his deal.
Aubameyang ended up putting pen to paper on a deal worth the best part of £350,000-a-week - a move which is yet to yield results for Arsenal - but it remains to be seen whether club officials will take a similar approach with Leno's negotiations.
Arsenal chose to show faith in the German earlier this season when they still had Argentine Emiliano Martinez on the books. After an impressive end to the season, Martinez was pushing for a starting spot at the Emirates, but left in a £20m move to Aston Villa after it became clear he wasn't going to get it.
"It gave me confidence but it was not a big decision because the manager and also the club said all the time that they count on me, that I am the No 1 and will be the No 1," Leno said of his battle with Martinez.
"It didn't matter what happened. Even if they expected it would have been a bigger injury, they told me to be calm and that they build around me so not to worry. That's always a good sign from the club, that they can rely on you. It gave me a lot of confidence and I'm very thankful to the club that they helped me a lot."
With that in mind, it seems likely that Arsenal will want to keep Leno around, although as a 29-year-old with a mixed track record, the Gunners may see this as the time to cash in.
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Source: 90min
