Wenger confident of new deals

Arsenal are making "good progress" in their attempts to agree new deals with Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna, according to Arsene Wenger.

Mertesacker has just 17 months to run on his current deal while Sagna is already free to sign a pre-contract agreement elsewhere.

Both have been cornerstones of an Arsenal defence which has as good a record as any in this season's Premier League.

And, speaking at his press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Fulham, Wenger appeared confident of keeping both.

He said: "We are making good progress, and hopefully we can announce something soon."

The Arsenal manager was a little more coy when asked about the possibility of a deal for Schalke's Germany international Julian Draxler.

Some reports this week even suggested Draxler had been spotted at the club's training ground, but Wenger said: "It's like UFOs - some see them everywhere!

"The transfer window is open until January 31. Are we close to signing anybody? At the moment I would say no."

Wenger denied making a bid for Dimitar Berbatov, who is likely to lead the Fulham attack at the Emirates, and offered no public update on his own contract situation.

There was a hint, though, that he has already decided whether or not to extend his spell in charge beyond the summer.

He said: "You can make a decision without going public. You can take that sentence how you want."