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Marseille want to keep defender William Saliba at the Ligue 1 club beyond the end of his current loan spell with Arsenal.
The 20-year old was signed by the Gunners from Saint-Étienne in France for £27 million, but he has never played a senior game for the Gunners.
Instead, he has enjoyed a series of loan moves back in French football, first with Saint-Étienne, then with Nice, and, this season, with Marseille.
He has earned a series of rave reviews for his performances in Ligue 1, frustrating a section of Arsenal fans who wonder why he has never been given his chance at Premier League level.
The admission by Marseille President Pablo Longoria puts pressure on the Gunners to make a decision about the future of Saliba, who is under contract until 2024.
Integrate him into the team under Mikel Arteta, or look to recoup their investment in the French under-21 international.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.