William Saliba says there’s a chance he could sign for Marseille on a permanent basis in the summer but he doesn’t know what will happen yet.
With the end of the current campaign approaching, William Saliba is facing a decision over his next steps.
After a successful season on loan with Marseille, he’s in a great position to make his case for chances at Arsenal, but he could also choose to move on. Saliba isn’t ruling out that possibility.
“There’s always a chance,” Saliba told Le Parisien (via GFFN). “I won’t hide that I’m very happy at Marseille. I’ve developed, I’ve passed a milestone. I’ve gone to the French national team thanks to Marseille, because there’s a lot of visibility.
“It’s a big club with a lot of pressure, but when you are good then a lot of good things come your way.
“We’ll see in May or June depending on the negotiations. Right now, I don’t know what my future holds.”
This follows the defender’s recent comments about not wanting to simply sit on the bench if he returns to Arsenal.
“I definitely can’t settle for being on the bench at Arsenal and being happy [with it],” Saliba said. “I want to be a starter. But then if I do get into the rotation as a substitute, it wouldn’t be like staying with the U23 and never being in the team.”
As for his current relationship with his parent club, Saliba confirmed he’s in regular contact with the Gunners through his agent.
“They’re in contact with my agent [Djibril Niang],” Saliba continued. “They send me messages. They watch my games. They tell me I need to carry on like this.”
The Athletic report that if William Saliba decides to move on from Arsenal this summer, he’d have other options than just Marseille, with clubs in France, Spain, and England after him.
Sam Dean added recently 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.
Football.London previously reported that they understand Saliba would prefer to prove himself with Arsenal than join Marseille on a permanent deal this summer.