Arsenal have matched Tottenham Hotspur's €30m offer for Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba after Spurs attempted to leapfrog the Gunners in the race for his signature.
The Lilywhites made their bid having earlier watched their rivals propose a fee of roughly €27m for the 18-year-old, who made 19 senior appearances for Les Verts last term. Unai Emery's men have long been linked with a move for Saliba, while Tottenham's interest has emerged far more recently.
According to RMC Sport, the pair will now go head-to-head in a battle to bring the teenager to north London, though it is unclear whether he will be in red or white next season
The aforementioned figure does not include bonuses, with Saint-Etienne deciding to take their time to mull things over and help Saliba choose the club best suited to him.
It is understood that the primary concern of Sainté is that the youngster's wishes are met, with his preferred destination still unknown.
He would likely receive more game-time at Arsenal given their defensive frailty - with centre-backs currently a big concern for Emery - but Saliba may feel more inclined to joining Spurs as there he would be able to learn from one of the finest defenders in the country, Jan Vertonghen.
However, another reason for the delay is that the French outfit believe a bidding war between the enemy clubs could soon break out, with Les Verts the main beneficiaries of such.
It doesn't appear that we will be getting the conclusion to this saga in the near future as the Ligue 1 side are in no hurry to sell, whilst both Tottenham and the Gunners are being linked with big-money moves for Kalvin Phillips and Everton Soares, respectively.
Source :
90min
