Journalist says Newcastle have advantage in race to sign 21-year-old Arsenal star

Arsenal defender William Saliba has enjoyed a hugely successful spell on loan with Ligue 1 side Marseille.

The young centre-back featured in a whopping 52 matches, in all competitions, throughout the 2021-22 season, including 35 appearances in Ligue 1.

However, with the latest campaign now at an end, Saliba, 21, is set to return to the Emirates but with the summer transfer window now in full swing, speculation is mounting around where the 21-year-old will play his football next season.

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Speaking about what could be in store for the talented France international, journalist Lee Davey believes Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United could be in line to make a shock move.

“Newcastle have definitely got a chance, purely because Marseille cannot meet the asking price,” Davey said on ‘The Fully Loaded Transfer Show’.

“I think Arsenal, from what I can gather, were looking [for] in excess of £30m. Marseille don’t have that money, they don’t, they’ve just lost Boubacar Kamara, which was one of their big assets, and he’s gone on a free transfer.

“He wants to stay in Marseille, of course he does. He’s had a fantastic season there, he wants to stay there, but he’s not going to be able to, unfortunately – unless Marseille find some money from somewhere to stump that up. So it’s not going to happen, that opens the door for Newcastle.”