How Arsenal have come out on top in north London fight for William Saliba

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Arsenal have beaten rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba, say reports.

William Saliba

The Gunners were favourites to land the 18-year-old’s signature until a late swoop from Spurs threw their plans into turmoil.

However, sources have told ESPN FC that Unai Emery’s side will win the race for the centre-back despite the efforts of their north London neighbours.

Saliba has chosen Arsenal over Tottenham after being convinced by the project at the Emirates Stadium and will join the club in a €30 million deal.

He will sign a five-year contract before being sent back to Saint-Etienne on loan for the 2019/20 campaign.

Arsenal are expected to confirm the deal soon, with only minor details needing to be finalised.

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Alasdair Mackenzie

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.