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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested that the club could offer a new contract to William Saliba in order to deter interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.<\/strong><\/p>\n The French defender, who joined Arsenal from St. Etienne in July 2019, has returned from a season-long loan at Ligue 1 club Marseille.<\/p>\n According to Gerard Romero (via the Daily Mail), Barcelona has identified Saliba as a potential replacement for Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and may make a move for him this summer.<\/p>\n Chelsea, on the other hand, is thought to be leading the race for the Sevilla player.<\/p>\n Apart from pre-season friendlies, Saliba has yet to play for the Gunners’ first team, but Arteta hinted that he may have a plan for the Frenchman.<\/p>\n When asked if Saliba would be offered a new contract, the former Manchester City assistant coach said (as reported by the Express):<\/p>\n \u201cWe always have a plan, and when we have to execute it, that\u2019s a different story, and football is a really funny game. We are really happy to have him, and you can see the way he\u2019s adapted, the way he\u2019s matured and he\u2019s playing well.\u201d<\/p>\n The 21-year-old featured in 52 games for Marseille last season, impressing with his commendable defensive acumen.<\/p>\n Barcelona and Arsenal appear to be in for productive seasons. Arsenal and Barcelona both had disappointing seasons last season, going trophyless.<\/p>\n They are eager to change that next season, as evidenced by the signings made by both clubs.<\/p>\n The Gunners have strengthened their squad with the additions of Gabriel Jesus, Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, and Matt Turner, allowing them to fight on all fronts next season.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Blaugrana have brought in Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, and Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona is also looking to strengthen their defense ahead of the new season.<\/p>\n Both the Gunners and the Blaugrana have excellent managers in Mikel Arteta and Xavi. While they lack experience, their appealing style of play more than compensates.<\/p>\n It will be difficult to accommodate so many new players, but fans of both clubs have plenty of reasons to look forward to the new season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested that the club could offer a new contract to William Saliba in order to deter interest from La Liga giants Barcelona. The French defender, who joined Arsenal from St. Etienne in July 2019, has returned from a season-long loan at Ligue 1 club Marseille. According to Gerard Romero (via […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-70","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-english-premier-league"},"yoast_head":"\n