Chelsea now interested in Arsenal’s William Saliba | OneFootball

Chelsea have joined the list of clubs interested in William Saliba, according to a report, but Arsenal are keen to keep the defender.

Perhaps unsurprisingly after his performance against them at the weekend, Football.London report that Chelsea have an interest in William Saliba.

The outlet don’t elaborate on that claim, but it’s perhaps understandable that Chelsea are casting a wide net in their search for centre-backs.

The Blues have lost a couple of key defenders this summer, and they’ve failed to land targets like Jules Kounde – who appears Barcelona-bound.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that Marseille president Pablo Longoria was in London to meet up with Saliba’s agent for dinner, which set rumours circulating as well.

Though Saliba isn’t Niang’s only client. The agent also represents Isaak Toure, who moved to Marseille just a few weeks ago.

Romano reports that Arsenal consider Saliba an important part of the team, so even if Niang and Longoria were discussing the Arsenal defender, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any real possibility of a transfer.

For the time being, it looks like Mikel Arteta is keen to start Saliba, but we’ll only know for sure when the Premier League season begins.

It’s obviously hugely important for the defender that he’s playing regular matches, as the World Cup is now just around the corner and he has a shot at making the French national team squad.

If Saliba is suddenly on the bench throughout August, his agent would likely want to be prepared to push for a late transfer.