ARSENAL have been joined by rivals Spurs in the £30m hunt for William Saliba.
RMC claims Mauricio Pochettino is looking to hijack the deal as he also closes in on the signature of Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele and Leeds United’s Jack Clarke.
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The news is sure to come as a blow to the Gunners, who had already agreed personal terms with the 18-year-old centre-back.
But Unai Emery is yet to strike a fee with Saliba’s club St Etienne.
And Pochettino is now ready to hand over a whopping £30m to secure the youngster’s coveted signature.
Toby Alderweireld is likely to leave after entering the final year of his contract.
And Saliba is seen as the ideal signing to develop alongside Argentine ace Juan Foyth.
It means Emery is likely to be hunting for a new defensive option, with PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe potentially available if boss Thomas Tuchel lands Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax.
Torino’s Armando Izzo is another centre-back who has been linked with Arsenal.
But there is every chance Emery will instead simply hand a new contract to Laurent Koscielny.
The veteran had been expected to agree a free transfer to Lyon.
But he could be tempted to pen a new deal keeping him in North London until 2020.
