Error-prone Luiz agrees shock extension with Arsenal

DAVID LUIZ has agreed a shock new contract to remain at Arsenal for another year. Defender Luiz’s existing contract, worth around £120,000-per-week, was due to expire on June 30 and clubs had until last night to finalise short-term extensions to run to the end of this season. However, Arsenal were last night on the verge of finalising a longer deal for Luizto keep him until 2021.

Luiz joined Arsenal in a surprise £8million move from Chelsea last summer on a one-year deal with the option of a further year. Luiz, 33, was sent off against Manchester City after a disastrous 25minute cameo to earn a two-game ban and manager Mikel Arteta admitted last Friday that he was unsure whether Luiz had played his last game for the north London club. The Brazilian accepted the blame for the loss against City, confirmed he wanted to stay and that Arteta wanted to keep him but admitted that the uncertainty around his future affected his performance. Arteta also confirmed yesterday that defender Pablo Mari’s loan move from Flamengo was close to being made a permanent one.

He joined in January with Arsenal having an option to sign him for around £10m. Short-term deals for Dani Ceballos and Cedric Soares were also being finalised to run until the end of the current campaign. Meanwhile, Arteta is open to offloading Matteo Guendouzi as his frustration mounts over the midfielder’s antics. The manager caught his French midfielder on camera acting up during training. Guendouzi clashed with Neal Maupay after Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton on Saturday when Maupay accused his countryman of lacking humility for things he said during the game. Sportsmail revealed that Guendouzi taunted Maupay about how much he and Arsenal’s players earned compared to Brighton’s.