Ghislain Printant, Saint Etienne's manager has confirmed there is no way they will let William Saliba leaving the clubs this summer, despite the fact the youngster has been linked to several top European clubs prior to the upcoming summer transfer market. At least there are two top clubs that makes William Saliba their target this summer; Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs.
Both of the north London clubs are battling it out to get the highly-rated 18-year-old central defender after he made an impressive first-team breakthrough at Saint Etienne last season. He named as one of the rising stars on the world football and no wonder there are a lot of top clubs wants him to be part of them for the next season.
A report in France claimed that The Gunners had already sent their offer, and bid for 23 million euros plus 7 million euros in bonuses. But those offer has knocked back by Saint EtienneThere as they want a full 30 million euros to be paid upfront. Other than that there has also been speculation that claims Arsenal would be willing to send William Saliba back to Saint Etienne on loan next season in order to complete the deal ahead of Tottenham Hotspur who also eager on getting the player.
However, Ghislain Printant is adamant that Saint Etienne is under no pressure to sell William Saliba this summer. The manager stated that selling William Saliba is not an absolute necessity for the club right now and he insists there is no urgency to do so. He continuous by say, William Saliba is courted by the clubs and for their point of view, they want to keep the player for the next season. Moreover, the player himself is wishing to do so. Ghislain Printant also fully aware that William Saliba still has room for development and remains at Saint Etienne might be the best decision for him right now.
Unai Emery Wants To Strengthen His Defense
There is a strong reason why Unai Emery is keen on strengthening his defense next season. Arsenal conceded 51 goals in the Premier League last season, over double that of Manchester City and Liverpool.
On the other side, Tottenham Hotspur could be on the lookout for a long-term successor for Toby Alderweireld as the 30-year-old Belgian available for just 25 million pounds this summer due to a clause in his contract.
William Saliba is considered as the most suitable successor with his impressive performance with Saint Etienne so far. As far as football betting Malaysia know, William Saliba could play in central defense or at right-back. And he made 19 appearances for Saint Etienne last season and has been capped by France at U 20 level.