Bayer Leverkusen would like to sign William Saliba this summer with his future under Mikel Arteta still not assured as Arsenal are linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.

Although William Saliba is expected to be integrated into the Arsenal first team in pre-season this summer, there are few who would be surprised if Mikel Arteta was to green light his transfer without ever giving him a proper chance.

It certainly is a weird one because, although he is seen as an Unai Emery player, there is no denying the kid has talent.

Still, Arsenal continue to be linked with centrebacks and it seems as if there is a real doubt hanging over the player’s future, much to the chagrin of many fans.

Saliba is priced at ‘more than €30m’ (£25.8m) by Arsenal, even though they’ve managed to drive his actual value down to around £15.3m because of how they’ve treated him.

The price Arsenal reportedly want for Saliba is likely to prove a sticking point for Bayer Levekusen, however, even though Kicker report that the Germans are looking at Saliba to help fill the hole being left by their own departures.

Arsenal are said to be interested in Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, a player Levekerusen would have to sell to be able to afford Saliba, so perhaps they are eyeing some sort of swap, even though it’s also being reported that a club would need to put down ‘Havertz levels’ of cash to sign him. Chelsea paid £72m for Kai Havertz last summer.

Arsenal aren’t getting anywhere near that for Saliba and Tapsoba, a centreback himself who is only 22, is only valued at around half that price, £36m.

If Arsenal do sell the 20-year-old, Saliba can rightly feel aggrieved at Arsenal for dicking around with his career at such a young age.