Arsenal center-back William Saliba will join Marseille on loan for the coming season, but a report suggests that the French side may have negotiated an option to buy Saliba permanently.
The 20-year-old spent the first half of last season in exile under Mikel Arteta but impressed after being sent on loan to Nice, making 20 appearances in Ligue 1 and adding his only goal of the campaign to seal a 3-2 victory over Lyon on the last day of the season.
Saliba has not yet won Arteta / James Chance / Getty Images
There had been hopes that he would get a chance under Arteta this year, but that is not the case as he is close to sealing a move to Marseille, and L’Equipe made Arsenal fans sweat by claiming it was an option for the French side to sign Saliba permanently for just £ 8.5 million.
The idea that Arsenal agree to let Saliba go for 8.5 million pounds is mental. They signed him for £ 27 million just two years ago, and although his incantation in England has sometimes been comical, he still looked like one of the best young defenders in France when he was loaned out. There is no reason for them to accept a huge loss on him.
Unsurprisingly, this was questioned in Marseille-based La Provence, which emphasized that Saliba’s loan does not include a call option. The source who released the news in England, David Ornstein, also admitted that he knew nothing about any alternative but was convinced that Arsenal would not sell for such a low price anyway.
After drawing a lot of negative attention to his claim, L’Equipe went back to their article and edited it by removing the figure of £ 8.5 million, but interestingly they kept mentioning the option to buy.
Their final attitude is that Marseille will be able to buy Saliba permanently, even if they are no longer confident enough to commit to a figure.
It’s not official yet. Almost all other sources who report on Saliba’s move to Marseille agree that Arsenal still see the 20-year-old as a crucial part of their future and dismiss the idea that they should earn early.
Matteo Guendouzi is also on his way to Marseille / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images
Add to the complication is Marseille’s move to sign Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who will also join the French side on loan.
Guendouzi’s move will be permanent next summer for a fee of around £ 9.5 million – a price charge given that his contract only has 12 months left to run.
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