Arsenal will not be selling William Saliba unless they receive a crazy offer for him, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.
Writing in his latest exclusive CaughtOffside column on Substack, Romano provided an update on Saliba’s future at the Emirates Stadium after a back-and-forth few years.
It seems the Gunners now hope to tie the young Frenchman down to a new contract, even though Marseille were keen to sign him permanently after his loan at the club last season.
Saliba impressed in his time in Ligue 1, and Arsenal fans will be eager to see what he can do in the Premier League next after a lack of playing time for the 21-year-old since he was first signed by the north London giants.
“Arsenal have never had any doubts: William Saliba is part of the project and there is no negotiation with Marseille, as things stand. Sure, Marseille would love the idea of keeping William, but Arsenal consider him a key player for this season,” Romano explains.
“The parties are talking about his contract but there is not yet a completed or imminent agreement, it is an ongoing discussion.
“Of course, Edu and Arteta believe in Saliba for the Arsenal project and for his departure a really crazy offer would be needed.”
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal line up in defence this season, with Saliba facing plenty of competition for a place in Arteta’s starting XI.
AFC already have a strong defensive partnership in Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes, so it could be tricky for Saliba to break into the team on a regular basis.