St. Etienne have turned down Arsenal’s opening bid for centre-back William Saliba, asking for the proposed bonuses to be included in the guaranteed fee, according to reports in France.

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)

Bilel Ghazi of L’Equipe reports (via GFFN) St. Etienne have rejected Arsenal’s opening bid of €23m and €7m bonuses, instead asking for the entire €30m as a guaranteed fee with no bonuses. They also want the defender to be loaned back for the 2019/20 season.

Despite the setback, negotiations are continuing between the two sides. Arsenal face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, who are also expected to make a formal bid soon.

Le10Sport add that Unai Emery ‘seems determined’ to sign Saliba in the current window.

David Ornstein confirmed on Wednesday that talks were ongoing between the two clubs over a deal for the defender, though Arsenal are also locked in a stalemate over Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney.

It’s going to be difficult to complete both deals on the club’s current budget if both Celtic and St. Etienne keep playing hardball.