Arsenal are expected to resume contract negotiations with Mohamed Elneny ahead of the new season after opening talks with the Egyptian midfielder in April, football.london understands.
Preliminary talks over a new deal began before the end of last season, as manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu looked to protect the value of a player who has just one year left on his current contract.
The Gunners said last month that they would speak to Elneny to ensure “he understands the wider implications” of a social media post expressing support for Palestine after concerns were raised by one of the club’s sponsors.
In response to the events in the Middle East, Elneny took to Twitter on and posted a tweet to his 4.8 million followers that read: “My heart and my soul and my support for you Palestine.”
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As per the Jewish Chronicle, the post prompted anger among some of the Gunners’ Jewish supporters due to the fact that it contained an image called ‘Palestine Lives Matter’, which featured an outline of Israel filled with pro-Palestine images.
These concerns were echoed by one of the Gunners’ sponsors, the Lavazza Group, after the Jewish Chronicle requested a comment form them on the issue.
In response to this, Arsenal said that Elneny was free to express his own views on his own social media channels, but confirmed that they had spoken to him to warn him over the implications of the post.
“As with any employees of Arsenal, our players are entitled to express their views on their own platforms,” said the club in a statement.
“That said we have spoken to Mo about this so he understands the wider implications of his post.
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“As a club, we are committed to confronting and eliminating all forms of discrimination and continue to champion the need for equality and diversity across all areas of life.”
There is no suggestion that Elneny’s post is the reason why contract talks have since stalled, with one source telling football.london that it is likely talks will resume ahead of the new season.
He’s scored five goals for the Gunners during his time at Emirates Stadium and recently put his improved goalscoring form down to extra shooting training with Arsenal assistant coach Steve Round.
Elneny has played 62 games in the Premier League and has passed 100 appearances for the club in all competitions.