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What's the story?
According to Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport, Arsenal have finally agreed a deal with Saint Etienne for the transfer of 18-year-old defender William Saliba, for a fee believed to be in the region of €29 million, including bonuses.
After weeks of negotiations and a lot of see-sawing, the Gunners have beaten arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur to his signature.
In case you didn't know...
The young center-half burst on to the season at Les Verts last season and went on to establish himself as an indispensable member of the squad as Saint Etienne finished fourth in Ligue 1, securing Europa League football for the 2019/20 season.
Arsenal have courted the young Frenchman for the entirety of the transfer window, but were presented with a scare as local rivals Tottenham Hotspur declared their interest with an eleventh-hour bid earlier last week.
While Saliba's future hung in the balance, the situation worked in Saint Etienne's favor, as the bidding war that they craved for had finally arrived.
The heart of the matter
Despite Spurs' last-ditch attempts to lure him to the other side of the North-London divide, Saliba has chosen Arsenal as his final destination and his definitive stance has accelerated negotiations in recent hours.
Saliba established himself as one of the brightest young talents in world football last season and the Frenchman's decision to reject overturns from other clubs across the continent is a massive coup for Arsenal.
The French U-20 international will sign a five-year deal with the Gunners and RMC Sport have also revealed that Saliba's pressing desire to join Arsenal over other interested clubs played a role in lowering the transfer fee.
What's next?
Saliba will reportedly undergo his medical and complete the formalities of the deal on Tuesday, after Saint Etienne's pre-season tour of Washington is complete. He will return to Les Verts on loan for the forthcoming season in order to further his development and get regular game-time under his belt.
