Marseille have reportedly enquired about the possibility of signing William Saliba from Arsenal permanently this summer.
Saliba was awarded the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season award following a stellar 2021/22 campaign in France. He also made the Team of the Season as Marseille finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Understandably, the French club would like to see him in a Marseille shirt again and the latest report from Foot Mercato, via GFFN, states that they're still looking to sign him on a permanent basis. OM have approached the Premier League side to enquire over the conditions that could lead to his sale, although for the time being Arsenal are not interested in letting go of the 21-year-old.
Nevertheless, if Mikel Arteta's words are anything to go by, then Arsenal fans have nothing to fear. That's because the Spaniard intends to make him part of the squad.
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Back in April, he told RMC Sport: "William Saliba has to come back. He has the experience to be competitive with us. We sent him to Marseille for his growth.
"William wanted to be a regular starter as you know but now we want him back at Arsenal."
Plus, in more good news, Saliba admitted last month that he's ready to challenge for a starting position at the Emirates. Speaking with Julien Maynard on French television programme Telefoot, the 21-year-old said: "I belong to Arsenal. I still have two years left. I will be back with Arsenal. I have played zero matches, and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club."
Of course, things can change in the transfer market, but Arteta's and the club's stance on Saliba is evidently clear. A return to Marseille next season seems somewhat unlikely.
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