Saint-Etienne Coach: Club Aim to Keep William Saliba Amid Arsenal, Spurs Rumours

Saint-Etienne manager Ghislain Printant has said the club want to keep William Saliba and are under no pressure to sell him this summer, amid rumours he is wanted by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. 

Per Goal's Chris Burton, the two north London rivals are interested in the 18-year-old and could snap him up for €25 million (£23 million). Arsenal are said to have made contact with the club as Gunners boss Unai Emery considers him his "top defensive target."

However, Printant said:

"The sale of Saliba is not an absolute necessity.

"There is no urgency [to do so]. He is courted by clubs.

"From a sporting point of view we want to keep him next season and that's his wish too. He still has room for development [here].

"We will see. Our goal is for him to be with us again this season."

Saliba broke into the Ligue 1 side's first team last season and made 19 appearances in all competitions.

That included 13 starts in France's top flight, including in six of their last seven matches, as Saint-Etienne secured fourth place in Ligue 1.

According to Opta, he made more tackles, interceptions and recoveries and blocked more shots per 90 minutes than the team's other more senior centre-backs.

Football writer Zach Lowy ran the rule over the youngster:

Arsenal in particular could do with defensive reinforcements this summer. They shipped 51 goals in the Premier League last season, only Manchester United and West Ham United conceded more in the top 10.

Goal's Robin Bairner cautioned against the Gunners relying solely on him if they snap him up this summer, though:

Installing him straight into a struggling defence would be dropping him in at the deep end, which would not be ideal for a player so early in his senior career.

Allowing him to remain where he is for another season would potentially be best for his development, though if he continues to impress in the meantime, his value could shoot up significantly, which is what Saint-Etienne will be hoping for.