19-year-old central defender William Saliba wants to play the Coupe de France final for St Étienne vs PSG on 24th July, three sources familiar with the matter have told Get French Football News.
His current loan from Arsenal to St Étienne, who the Gunners bought him from last summer, expires on 30th June, in less than a week’s time.
He is however currently continuing to participate in Les Verts’ pre-season training.
As reported by L’Équipe, a €2.5m bonus for St Étienne in the original transfer arrangement will be lost if AFC do not permit the teenager to start in the Coupe de France final next month. Les Verts continue to consider taking legal action against Arsenal owing to the nature of the way this clause was structured and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it stands, Arsenal are under no obligation to extend the player’s loan past 30th June, which is its current end date. Sources at St Étienne are pessimistic about getting the London club to change its mind – as it stands, AFC are poised to block the player’s participation in next month’s cup final.
