Arsenal defender William Saliba has been linked with both an exit from the club as well as an extended stay in recent weeks. It comes after an impressive loan at Marseille last season, though his return to the Emirates leaves plenty of questions surrounding his role in the team.
The 21-year-old helped guide the French side to Champions League qualification in the previous campaign, also going on to win the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season award - previously won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni. The centre-back has also managed to earn a call-up to the senior French national team, but with two years remaining on his Arsenal contract and a duo of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes to dislodge in the backline, his place in the team is still up for grabs.
While talks are said to be underway over a potential extension of his deal, his agent has been in London, but not only for talks with the Gunners. That's because Fabrizio Romano reports that the representative met up with Marseille president Pablo Longoria over dinner.
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The nature of the meeting wasn't specified, however it could suggest the potential of another move from the French club, who haven't hidden their aspirations for Saliba to return. While his role is currently uncertain, Mikel Arteta has already been clear surrounding his thoughts on the youngster heading into the new season.
Discussing the defender after a huge 4-0 victory against London rivals Chelsea in pre-season, the Spaniard said: "I am really pleased to see the way he is playing, the way he has adapted to the team, the maturity that he's shown at 21 years old, carry on doing it. We will keep developing him, he has huge potential, he is already a top player and we have to make him even better."
Then, when asked if he was ready to step up to the challenge ahead, Arteta simply replied: "He looked ready to me today." It sets out clear intentions from the manager to keep hold of a hugely promising defender who could rise from being demoted to playing with the youth side to being a regular for years to come.
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