‘Shocked’ Arsenal ‘could be forced to sell’ star player despite offer to triple his wages

William Saliba’s huge contract demands could force Arsenal to sell the defender with Paris Saint-Germain taking an interest, according to reports.

The Frenchman has been one of the Gunners’ best players this season with Mikel Arteta’s side finishing second in the Premier League after leading the way for most of the season.

Saliba has been a revelation at the hear of Arteta’s defence with his solid partnership alongside Gabriel Magalhaes giving Arsenal a good foundation at the back.

The 22-year-old arrived at Arsenal in July 2019 but didn’t make his debut for the north London club until this season after a number of loan spells.

He was initially loaned back to St Etienne for the 2019-20 campaign before season-long loan spells at Nice and Marseille before Arteta chose to give him a chance in the first team.

Saliba won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season award last campaign and his rise has continued this season with the Gunners struggling without his presence in defence .

But The Sun claims that Arsenal ‘could be forced to sell’ Saliba with the Gunners ‘struggling to sort out a new contract’ for the France international.

With Saliba set to enter the final year on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, on a long-term basis’ and are prepared to triple his wages from £40k a week to £120k a week.

The Sun add that Arsenal ‘have been shocked by the demands being made by the centre-back’s representatives and are currently nowhere near reaching an agreement’.

Arsenal ideally don’t want to sell the Frenchman but they are ‘not prepared to let him run down his contract and leave as a free agent next year’ and PSG ‘will pay Saliba whatever it takes to lure him to the Parc des Princes’.

Arteta attempted to allay fears at the beginning of May that contract talks with Saliba had stalled.

The Spaniard said earlier this month: “We want to keep our best talent. Especially the players that deserve some recognition. I think he has been incredible since he came back from his loan period and we want to reward him, that is for sure. We will find the right moment to do that.

“Obviously [technical director] Edu and the board are on top of every negotiation regarding new contracts and now we are doing everything we possibly can to do that in the right moment at the right time.

“The communication and the relationship is super. It is about timing, I think. Nothing else.”