Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker to sign 12-month contract extension
- Per Mertesacker hasn't played a single minute all season due to a knee injury
- He was out of contract at the end of the season but will now extend his stay
- Arsene Wenger says Mertesacker is back training as he nears a return
Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal will trigger a 12-month contract extension for team captain Per Mertesacker.
Mertesacker hasn't played a single minute all season due to a knee injury sustained in the summer.
The German is out of contract at the end of the campaign but the club have an option to extend his existing deal by a year.
Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker is set to extend his stay at the club beyond this summer
Arsenal will trigger a 12-month contract extension for the German centre back
And Wenger says it is an option the Gunners will take up.
'He has an option that we have taken. There was no negotiation, there was just an option that we took up.
Wenger added: 'He is back in training, not with the squad but I think he is a few weeks away.'
He added: 'With the number of games we have it's important that we have all our experienced players back and that everybody is focused to do well.
'We're going through a moment of truth now, January until May is five months to go. You want ideally all your players with big experience back in your squad.'
Mertesacker hasn't played all season due to a knee injury suffered in the summer
However, the 32-year-old is expected to take part in full training in a few weeks
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