WILLIAM SALIBA is ‘open’ to staying with Marseille if they qualify for the Champions League.
The Frenchman joined the Gunners from Saint-Etienne for around £27million in 2019.
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After spending a season on loan at Saint-Etienne in 2019/20, many expected the defender to play a role for Arsenal the following campaign.
But by the time the January window opened, he had still failed to make his debut.
A loan spell at Nice followed and he was back in his native country last summer to join Marseille.
The 20-year-old has thrived in Ligue 1 under manager Jorge Sampaoli and has made 26 appearances so far this season.
Now Provence claims the centre-half feels ‘very good’ at the Orange Velodrome and is ready to make a permanent change.
However, he says ‘his condition is that the club qualify for the Champions League’ next season.
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Marseille are currently on track to achieve that goal as they sit third in the top flight, two points behind second-placed Nice and 13 behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
But there could still be problems for Marseille regarding the prospect of getting Saliba in the long term.
The club have been hit with a transfer ban by Fifa – against which they are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi is also on loan at Marseille.
Due to an arrangement in that deal which included an option to buy, along with fellow loanees Cengiz Under and Pau Lopez, the French giants can still secure deals for them permanently this summer despite the ban.
No buy clause has been inserted in the package for Saliba, and if their appeal fails, Marseille won’t be able to sign him.
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