Arsenal are poised to make France under-19 defender William Saliba their first signing of the summer in a €25 million deal, sources have told ESPN FC.
Arsenal and Saint-Etienne have almost reached an agreement for the promising 18-year-old, who is tall, quick, strong and excellent on the ball.
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Saliba, who fits with Arsenal’s new recruitment strategy of young, promising players like Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, will stay on loan at Saint-Etienne next season in an effort to continue his development and play regular first-team football.
Beaten Europa League finalists Arsenal have beaten a number of rivals to the signing of Saliba, including Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.