According to ESPN, Arsenal have activated a clause in Nacho Monreal’s contract to extend the Spaniard’s stay at Arsenal until the summer of 2020.

With his previous deal ending at the end of this season, the 32-year-old left back would have been free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club.

In September, Unai Emery confirmed he was eager to retain his compatriot and there was talk of a longer-term deal being on the table. However, in light of Monreal’s recent fitness struggles – he’s only played 15 times this campaign – it looks as though we’ve settled on a 12-month extension.

You may remember that Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky both had similar clauses in their contracts.

Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech, Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner, who only signed a one-year deal, are also into their last six months and could leave for free in July.