William Saliba says Arsenal and Marseille will hold talks over his future in late May and early June, and he’s not against staying with Marseille.
There was already plenty of speculation surrounding William Saliba’s future after his positive season with Marseille, but that has only increased in the wake of Saliba’s call-up to the senior French national team.
Speaking to RMC Sport in an interview published on Wednesday morning, Saliba says he’s feeling good with the Ligue 1 club.
Whilst he’s focusing on Marseille’s targets in the Champions League qualification race and the Europa Conference League knockouts for now, he confirms talks with Arsenal and the French side will take place after that.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that I feel good here. I don’t know what my future holds, there are still two months to go,” Saliba said (via GFFN).
“The most important thing is to qualify for the Champions League and go as far as possible in the Conference League.
“I think discussions will take place afterwards, at the end of May to early June, between Arsenal and Marseille – we’ll decide at that point.
“But staying on here would definitely not be a bad idea, on the contrary, I know the city, my teammates, my manager. But it doesn’t depend on me.”
Sam Dean reported on Monday morning that Arsenal were yet to open discussions with Saliba over his future at the club, but those talks were expected to take place soon.
As things stand, Dean suggests Arsenal haven’t given an indication over whether they’ll be offering Saliba a new deal, with his current contract to expire in 2024.
Charles Watts then weighed in on the issue, reporting for Goal that talks over Saliba’s future are set to open in the coming weeks.
Saliba’s camp are keen to find out Arsenal’s long-term plans for him, and the imminent discussions will attempt to bring some clarity to the situation.
Football.London previously reported that they understand Saliba would prefer to prove himself with Arsenal than join Marseille on a permanent deal this summer. But perhaps these latest quotes suggest he’s open to the alternative.