Arsenal are close to concluding a loan deal to send William Saliba to Marseille for the season, according to a report from France.

La Provence report that with Luan Peres set to complete a move to Marseille in the next day or two, the club are also close to concluding negotiations for the loan signing of William Saliba without an option to buy.

Negotiations remain intense, but all parties are hoping for a quick resolution and Saliba could travel to Marseille as soon as Monday.

Recent reports suggest that Arsenal still view Saliba as part of their long-term future, and they excluded a permanent sale from the equation in a meeting with the player’s agent. But it was more and more obvious he was set to leave on loan.

David Ornstein, Chris Wheatley, and Fabrizio Romano were among those to deny Arsenal had agreed to an option to buy for Marseille, and it seems they were all correct.

Before seemingly deciding on Marseille, Saliba rejected the possibility of a loan to Rennes, as he still feels wronged by their treatment of him in the 2020 window.

He had an agreement to join Rennes on a season-long loan last summer and was ready to make the move, but they stalled and never closed the deal, leaving him hanging until the end of the window.

It looks like he’ll now complete a loan to Marseille rather than joining up with his parent club in their trip to Edinburgh next week.