Bayer Leverkusen are ‘looking at’ a move for Arsenal defender William Saliba this summer, although his asking price could prove difficult.
Saliba has been on loan at Nice in the second half of this season after failing to establish himself under Mikel Arteta when he returned from his loan at Saint-Étienne last summer.
Despite being highly rated and Arsenal pushing hard to get him, his future at the Emirates is in doubt.
Indeed the Gunners continue to be linked with several central defenders, hinting that Saliba is not a part of their plans moving forwards.
What happens remains to be seen, but according to Kicker, Bayer Leverkusen are eyeing up a deal as they look to replace their own departing stars.
They are set to lose Sven Bender and Aleksandar Dragovic this summer while they no longer want both Tim Jedvaj and Panagiotis Retsos.
That’s left them needed at least two new defenders, and while one of those will be an established pro, the other will be a ‘talent’.
In this regard, Leverkusen are looking at Saliba, who has ‘developed well’ while on loan at Nice in the second half of last season.
His transfer fee, though, is ‘more than €30m’, a figure that the German side would probably only be able to reach if they were to sell Edmond Tapsoba.
He’s conveniently being targeted by Arsenal, so perhaps this is the prelude to the two clubs working out some sort of swap deal and avoiding a complicated transfer saga in the process.
