Arsenal are reportedly in talks with Rennes over a potential loan for William Saliba. The young defender could now return to France on a temporary deal for the 2020/21 season as Mikel Arteta looks to manage his development.
Saliba was brought in by Unai Emery in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £27m.
He then spent the 2019/20 season back on loan at former club Saint-Etienne where he worked under former Leicester boss Claude Puel.
The 19-year-old was handed the No 4 shirt at Arsenal and despite returning to north London earlier this summer, he is yet to feature under Arteta this season.
Saliba has made just one appearance for the club’s Under-23s and has made the first-team bench just once, in the Community Shield against Liverpool.
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The Brittany-based club currently top Ligue 1 and will be playing Champions League football this year after finishing third behind Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille last season.
Rennes have been drawn into Group E with Sevilla, Chelsea and Krasnodar, meaning Saliba could potentially get the chance to test himself against Premier League opposition.
Arteta decided to leave him out of the Arsenal squad that beat Liverpool on penalties in the Carabao Cup last night.
After the game, the Spaniard hinted that he could be heading out on loan before it emerged that Rennes were interested in his services.
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