Despite Mikel Arteta making it clear the defender is in his plans for Arsenal, Marseille is reportedly growing more confident that they can complete a move for William Saliba.
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Saliba had a productive loan season at the Orange Velodrome last year, where he established himself as a key member of their starting lineup. He made 51 appearances across all competitions to aid Marseille in finishing second in Ligue 1 and advancing to the Europa Conference League semifinals.
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It was believed that Marseille might be able to sign Saliba on a long-term basis because Arteta had previously shown little indication of including the Frenchman in his plans.
Those hopes were quickly dashed, however, as Saliba seemed to perform well enough in preseason to earn a spot in the Gunners’ squad.
Marseille, however, is still pursuing the 21-year-old despite this setback. Earlier this summer, the French team replaced Jorge Sampaoli, their manager and a huge fan of Saliba, with Igor Tudor. Saliba still seems to be a top target for the summer transfer window despite that change.
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L’Equipe reports that club president Pablo Longoria traveled to London earlier this week to meet with the defender’s representatives.
The two talked about a potential transfer for Saliba from Arsenal to Marseille during that meeting. Les Phoceens are said to be keeping an eye on his situation and are still’surprisingly optimistic’ about signing the center-back.