William Saliba Eager to Seal Arsenal Switch But Saint Etienne Prefer Tottenham Bid

Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba favours a move to Arsenal but the Ligue 1 side prefer the offer put forward by Tottenham, as they are not satisfied with the structure of payments the Gunners have proposed.

The centre back's future remains uncertain as the two north London rivals continue to battle for his signature, whilst the French club also want Saliba to remain with the team on loan for the upcoming campaign.

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Saint-Etienne's club president Roland Romeyer recently said, as quoted by the Sun: "He will stay at the club this season. It is an imperative condition should we come to an agreement on his transfer. It's also William's wish."

Arsenal have been looking to sign Saliba since the start of the summer and it was reported the two parties had agreed personal terms back in June. Yet their €30m bid for the player was bettered by Tottenham, who are said to have offered €30m excluding add-ons, which according to French journalist Kike Marin has caused Saint-Etienne to reconsider who they want to sell to.

RMC Sport now claim that Arsenal have upped their bid to £30m as they look to force their way back into pole position ahead of their fierce rivals.

Sky Sports believe Gunners are close to wrapping up the deal for Saliba, while the north London club are also thought to close to agreeing a loan move for Dani Ceballos.

Having failed to wrap up a deal for Saliba at this stage, it continues to be a frustrating transfer window for Arsenal so far.

They have completed just one signing, that of the teenage forward Gabriel Martinelli, whilst they have been unsuccessful so far in their pursuits of Celtic full back Kieran Tierney and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.