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According to James Olley from the Evening Standard, Arsenal are edging closer to completing the signing of 18-year-old center-back William Saliba.
Arsenal and Saint-Etienne have been locked in negotiations for a number of weeks and with Spurs also said to be in the reckoning to acquire the services of the talented Frenchman, Arsenal in recent hours have edged ahead.
Although the Gunners are said to complete the transfer imminently and wanted the player to link up with the squad immediately, Saliba is set to remain at Saint-Etienne for another season as per the terms of the deal and this hasn't been viewed as a stumbling block by Arsenal, who rate the youngster very highly.
Also see : Barcelona Transfer News, Arsenal Transfer News, Manchester united Transfer News.
In many ways, the structure of the deal works in Arsenal's advantage. The Gunners are widely reported to have a £40 million transfer kitty for this summer and Saint-Etienne are entitled to a nominal fee this summer, with the sizable chunk of the transfer fee set to be paid next summer when Saliba links up with the North-London club.
Club president Roland Romeyer insists any deal for Saliba will involve the player staying on at Saint-Etienne for the forthcoming season.
“He will stay at the club this season. It is an imperative condition should we come to an agreement for his transfer. It’s also William’s wish.”
The deal comes as a massive coup for the Gunners, who've snapped up one of the brightest young defenders in world football and the nature of the deal works to their advantage.
The fee is thought to be in the region of £25 million and although the structure of proposed payments is still under discussion, the negotiations are at an advanced stage and Arsenal are expected to wrap up the deal imminently.
