Arsenal are interested in a move for 18-year-old Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba this summer with him named as a ‘top target’.

FBL FRA LIGUE1 REIMS SAINT ETIENNE 1558274020
Saint-Etienne’s French defender William Saliba (L) vies with Reims’ French forward Boulaye Dia during the French L1 football match between Stade de Reims and Saint-Etienne (ASSE) on April 21, 2019, at the Auguste-Delaune stadium in Reims. (Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP / Getty Images)

Central defence is clearly an area Arsenal need to strengthen in the current window, and all reports coming out of the club suggest they plan to.

The Gunners have been linked with players like Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona) and Mario Hermoso (Espanyol), but Spanish journalist Kike Marin denied those links:

https://twitter.com/Kike_Marin_/status/1129835077272256515

Instead, Marin suggested Arsenal are in for teenage Ligue 1 defender William Saliba, of Saint Etienne:

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news

https://twitter.com/Kike_Marin_/status/1130065697827164161

This has now been picked up by Charlie Watts at Goal who claims Saliba is one of Arsenal’s ‘top targets’.

Previous reports have valued Saliba at around £25m, though the majority of existing articles have linked Manchester United with a move, rather than Arsenal. The young centre-back is very highly rated in France, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other top Premier League clubs after him.

Marin’s record with Arsenal transfer news has been a little hit and miss over the last year or so, calling some transfers correctly (Aubameyang, Leno) and others incorrectly (Banega, Dembele). Watts, however, certainly seems to have connections.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news