Who is William Saliba? Arsenal target who was once coached by Kylian Mbappe’s father
WILLIAM SALIBA has attracted much attention following his breakout season with Saint-Etienne in France's Ligue 1.
One such suitor has been Unai Emery at Arsenal, with the Spaniard needing to improve their leaky defence while remaining on a tight budget.
Who is William Saliba?
Saliba was born on March 24, 2001 - making him 18-years-old.
He hails from Bondy, the same commune as Kylian Mbappe, with the defender being coached by the World Cup winner's father from a young age.
The centre-back moved south to Saint-Etienne in 2016, signing his first professional contract at the age of 17 two years later.
Despite only making his debut in a 3-2 league win over Toulouse last September, Saliba has gone onto feature 19 times in all competition for Les Verts.
He is also a France youth international, but just missed out on joining Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi in the Euro under-21 squad.
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Has Saliba signed for Arsenal?
This deal is not official but appears to be gaining momentum with each passing day.
The Gunners have reportedly agreed personal terms with the defender - with only the fee to be decided.
Arsenal want Saliba to be a long-term replacement for captain Laurent Koscielny.
But they will be hoping Saint-Etienne lower their £25m price tag, as the North Londoners continue to work to a budget this summer.
Yet, the Gunners will have to move fast with Manchester United, Man City, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and a host of Serie A clubs also interested in the France youth international.
