Arsenal defender William Saliba has rejected the chance to join Rennes and made it clear that he will not move to the Ligue 1 side on loan, according to Ouest France.
Rennes approached Saliba to discuss his potential arrival in Brittany last week but were issued a firm rebuttal. Sporting Director Florian Maurice was keen to add the 20-year-old to the ranks at Roazhon Park as he strives to bolster Bruno Genesio’s centre-half options.
Maurice watched Saliba regularly while the Arsenal man was on loan at Nice from January and admired his performances. But Les Rouge et Noir would only have been able to sign the former France youth international on loan due to the high cost of his salary.
However, that ultimately did not matter, as Saliba made it clear he has no interest in leaving Arsenal for Rennes. The £40,000-per-week enforcer has a sour relationship with the Ligue 1 side after a move there fell through last year.
Saliba had agreed to join Rennes on loan for the 2020/21 season only for the club to suddenly go cold. He waited until the end of the window hoping the deal would be resurrected, but eventually remained at Arsenal until he could join Nice in the winter.
The 6 ft 4 enforcer stood out at the Allianz Rivera under Adrian Ursea. He helped keep three clean sheets in 20 Ligue 1 outings and started all of his appearances. A vastly contrasting situation to at Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta did not award Saliba a single second last season.
Arsenal must plot right course for Saliba after Rennes snub
Saliba has plenty of options for next season, despite snubbing a move to Rennes, as the Daily Mail have cited Lille and Newcastle as potential destinations for the Arsenal defender.
He could be more willing to join Lille after they won Ligue 1, or Newcastle to play Premier League football. But Saliba and Arsenal must agree on the right course with Rennes removed, given his lack of action under Arteta.
Saliba’s chances of featuring at Arsenal could reduce further with a deal for Brighton’s Ben White close, per The Athletic. But the Frenchman showed he can offer a key presence in the Nice backline while earning praise from Bacary Sagna.
“He is doing well at Nice and has probably been their best player,” the ex-Gunners defender told Goal in March. “At that age, you need to be playing. He has big potential and in France people know it.”
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