Arsenal
Arsenal in talks to sign £26m star ahead of Man Utd, deal could be finalised soon
Arsenal are finalising a deal to sign Manchester United target William Saliba and a potential £26m move could be wrapped-up over the coming weeks
Managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads during the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are closing-in on William Saliba…
Arsenal are finalising a deal to sign Manchester United target William Saliba and a potential £26m move could be wrapped-up over the coming weeks, according to Le10Sport.
Saliba broke into the Saint-Etienne first team last season and has now earned a reputation as one of the most highly-rated young centre-backs in French football following a string of impressive performances.
The French Under-19 international has caught the eye of clubs here in the Premier League as Le10Sport claims Arsenal and Manchester United have both expressed their interest in bringing the defender to England.
The outlet says Saint-Etienne are willing to cash-in on Saliba this summer but the Ligue 1 club are demanding £26m [€30m] for his signature and they want player back on loan for next season as part of any deal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to be busy in the market strengthening his squad over the coming months and the United boss is being tipped to target young up and coming players rather than established names.
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Man Utd have already signed 21-year-old winger Daniel James from Swansea City and they have the money available to sign Saliba for £26m before sending him back to Saint-Etienne on loan if they wanted to.
However, United are yet to formalise their interest in the 18-year-old and Le10Sport claims Arsenal are in pole position to sign the teenage defender – although Unai Emery wants to keep the player rather than allow him to rejoin Saint-Etienne on loan.
The Gunners boss is desperate to revamp his defence this summer after missing out on the top four last season. Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny are both being linked with moves so Saliba could be viewed as a long-term replacement for either player.
Emery is working on a tight budget so the Spaniard can’t afford to spend £26m of his kitty on a player that he won’t be able to use for a year so Arsenal will no doubt demand to have Saliba immediately if he does move to the Emirates.
It appears a transfer could be on the cards as Le10Sport says Arsenal are in negotiations with Saint-Etienne over a deal to sign Saliba and the two clubs could finalise terms over the next couple of weeks.
READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer news
We’ll have to wait and see whether United step-up their interest but as it stands it looks like Arsenal are in pole position to sign Saliba and I think the French youngster could prove to be an excellent addition if they could get a deal over the line.
