Arsenal have reportedly made an opening bid of €30million to seal the transfer of Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba.
The France Under-20 international has long been linked with a big move this summer, with reliable journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi reporting on the latest on the player’s situation.
MORE: Tottenham look to hijack Arsenal move for €25m+ rated transfer target
According to Bouhafsi in the tweet below, Arsenal have tabled their first offer for Saliba after agreeing personal terms with the 18-year-old centre-back.
However, Bouhafsi says Arsenal must be wary of rivals Tottenham, who are also interested in the Ligue 1 wonderkid.
Arsenal a transmis une 1ère offre de 30M€ pour William Saliba. Les négociations ont lieu entre Arsenal et Saint Étienne. Arsenal est déjà d’accord avec le joueur. Comme révèlé par l’Equipe, Arsenal doit quand même se méfier de Tottenham qui est entré dans le dossier. #RMCsport
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 25, 2019
Gunners fans will hope their club can see off any late competition for Saliba, as it looks like they’re reasonably advanced in this deal at the moment.
Still, AFC don’t have the best recent record in the transfer market so fans will no doubt be worried about a potential hijack.
Still, if Arsenal can get this done, Saliba looks a huge prospect who could go into their first-team straight away and make an impact.
The north London side urgently need an upgrade on Shkodran Mustafi, and a long-term replacement for the ageing Laurent Koscielny.