Arsène Wenger is close to agreeing a new contract with Arsenal that would take his tenure as manager into a third decade. Talks over a new three-year deal, worth £24 million, have been taking place since October and the North London club are increasingly confident he will sign next month.

Wenger has yet publicly to commit himself to Arsenal beyond his existing contract, which expires at the end of the season, but has made it clear to his staff and senior players that he is planning for the long term.

The Frenchman, who arrived in London in 1996, believes that this season’s squad is the best he has had since the 2003-04 Invincibles, who won the Premier League without losing a game. Wenger is determined