According to the Daily Mail, Lille have joined Newcastle United in the race to sign Arsenal defender William Saliba on loan.
Saliba joined Arsenal in a £27million move from Saint-Etienne back in 2019, having emerged as one of the top young centre backs in Europe.
He has yet to make a senior appearance for Arsenal though, and may have his path blocked by a proposed £50million move for Ben White.
Newcastle face battle for Arsenal ace Saliba
It’s now stated that Arsenal coaches believe Saliba needs another season out on loan, with Newcastle coming forward as a potential destination.
Lille are now joining the race though, seemingly looking to bring Saliba back to France given question marks over both Jose Fonte and Sven Botman.
Saliba has shown promise with Saint-Etienne and, most recently, Nice. Lille may now feel that they can continue his development, and they should be a very appealing option for Arsenal given how they have helped develop many young players.
Arsenal’s interest in Celik
News of Lille wanting Saliba is very interesting as Arsenal are believed to be looking at one of Lille’s players in defender Zeki Celik.
The London Evening Standard reported earlier this month that Arsenal would like to sign Lille right back Celik as a replacement for Hector Bellerin.
By allowing Saliba to go on loan to Lille, Arsenal may sense an opportunity to negotiate a lower fee for Celik whilst getting Saliba the first-team action he needs.
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