Arsenal defender William Saliba has turned down a move to Rennes this summer after the French club made a move for his signature.
That’s according to Ouest France, who say the Ligue 1 club have been ‘rebuffed’ in their efforts to bring in the 20-year-old.
They explain that sporting director Florian Maurice is on the hunt for a centre-back this summer and had targeted the Arsenal man as a potential option.
He has ‘made contact’ with the defender about a potential move, having watched him at Nice between January and June, but it was made clear a loan deal would only be feasible because of Saliba’s current contract at the Emirates.
He was contacted last Thursday but ‘made it clear’ that he did not want to join the club after a recent dispute between the pair.
That refers back to last year when Saliba was targeted by Rennes, and he agreed to join them on loan for a year.
The French side, though, never followed up their interest, despite Saliba waiting until the end of the window for a move to happen.
That is something he did not appreciate, as it left him ‘stuck’ at Arsenal until the end of the year when he made the move to Nice in January.
It’s something he’s still not ‘digested’, and as such, a move this summer ‘is one to forget’, with the player simply not interested.
