Arsenal star 'wants out' unless 'guaranteed' - two European clubs 'considering' signing

According to reports, Arsenal defender William Saliba 'wants' to leave the club unless he is 'guaranteed a starting place' next season.

The centre-back is yet to make his debut for the Gunners after joining them for £27million in 2019.

Saliba was loaned out to Marseille ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. His form for them saw him make his senior debut for France earlier this year.

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The 21-year-old was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year last season and is now back at Arsenal ahead of next season.

His contract at Arsenal expires in 2024 and it was claimed earlier this week that he has no intention of signing a new contract.

The Independent is now reporting that Saliba "will seek a permanent transfer this summer if he is not guaranteed a starting spot".

The player has "promised himself a chance" to play for France at this winter's World Cup "if he continues to play regularly".

The report adds that Atletico Madrid and Marseille are the teams who are "currently looking to sign Saliba on a permanent contract".

Elsewhere, Lucas Paqueta is said to be 'open' to the prospect of joining Arsenal this summer, as technical director Edu scrambles to secure the Lyon star.

A report on Tuesday claimed that Edu "has already informed the player's staff that he wishes to formalize a proposal in the current European transfer window".

And it has further been claimed that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta 'personally approved Paqueta's transfer and the Gunners hierarchy are now discussing the financial aspect of the deal'.

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One report claims Lyon want €80m (£68m) for Paqueta, while another puts their asking price at €50m (£42m), but in all cases, Arsenal "have yet to send a formal offer" to the Ligue 1 giants.

But such an offer could be forthcoming, with Media Foot (via Mirror) now claiming that Paqueta is 'open' to leaving Lyon for Arsenal.

The report states that "while he is not acting to force a release this summer, he wants to leave as he is excited about the opportunity to join a new project".

Arsenal are believed to be leading the race for the playmaker, who has scored seven goals in 33 caps for Brazil, but Lyon are in a strong position to negotiate with Paqueta on contract for three more seasons after signing in September 2020 from Milan for 20 M€.