Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba is set to undergo a medical at Arsenal after a deal was reached between the two clubs, according to reports.
The Daily Mirror reported that an agreement in principle has been made to sign Saliba, who is set to re-join the Ligue 1 outfit on loan next season as part of the deal.
Nevertheless, Saliba looks set to become just Arsenal’s second signing of the summer – though other deals are said to be in the pipeline for the Gunners in regards to Dani Ceballos (Mirror) – following their capture of Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Football.london have suggested Arsenal have agreed a £27m fee for the centre-back, although reports in France of Arsenal winning the race for the teenager’s signature – having seen off the advances of Spurs – value the deal at a total of €40m (£36m).
Reports in recent weeks had put Tottenham in the running to sign the youngster – with RMC Sport suggesting that Arsenal’s North London rivals had outbid them for Saliba’s services, only for The Gunners to respond with an improved bid of their own, according to Saint-Etienne-based outlet Peuple-Vert.
Arsenal are yet to formally confirm winning the race for Saliba, with an official announcement due once the player, who will not play for the Gunners until the 2020/21 season, has passed a medical.
Saliba’s impending Arsenal move is a big call from Unai Emery, who could be taking a chance on the teenager by spending close to the total of the club’s reported transfer budget – only for the defender to be loaned back to his soon-to-be former team for a year.
That could signify the size of the promise that Saliba has – to the point where Arsenal believe they will reap the long-term rewards of securing his signature.
However, with the ongoing rift between the club and Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal may be wiser to seek defensive reinforcements having not added to a backline that conceded 51 goals last season.
For those reasons, this could be a bit of a punt from Arsenal on Saliba, but only time will tell if he’s going to be worth the wait.
Arsenal fans, do you think Saliba could be a success for the club in the future? Let us know your thoughts below!
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