Arsenal are planning to give Jack Wilshere a new four-year deal.
The injury-plagued midfielder has impressed since returning to the Gunners after spending last season on loan at Bournemouth.
He caught the eye in the recent Carabao Cup victory over Doncaster and was again outstanding in the Europa League win at BATE Borisov on Thursday.
Manager Arsene Wenger has held talks with the 25-year-old midfielder to assure him he has a future at the north London club.
Talks about a new deal for Wilshere, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, have already started and Arsenal are hopeful agreement will be reached by the end of the year to keep him at the club until 2022.
Despite the question marks about his fitness, Wenger has never lost faith in Wilshere’s ability to be a key member of his first team plans.
And if Wilshere continues to progress and suffers no more setbacks, he feels the player could yet figure in next summer’s World Cup finals.
Wilshere has won 41 caps and England manager Gareth Southgate rates him highly.
He will closely monitor Wilshere’s form, and there could be a place for him in the Three Lions' November friendlies if he avoids any recurrence of the injury problems that have restricted him to only 161 first team appearances for Arsenal since he made his debut.
* ARSENAL and Chelsea are among the clubs chasing Iker San Vicente — the Spanish teenager dubbed ‘the new Gerard Pique’, writes Tom Hopkinson.
The 16-year-old defender has rejected a new deal with Osasuna and will be a free agent from January.
Arsenal had him watched last month, but Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are also keen.