William Saliba hints he may stay at Marseille beyond end of season

Arsenal loanee William Saliba has admitted he would be happy to remain at Marseille beyond the end of the season.

Saliba has enjoyed a terrific season at the Stade Velodrome, making 45 appearances in all competitions and helping his side put themselves in pole position to finish second in Ligue 1. Marseille are also in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Saliba, who signed for Arsenal back in 2019 for a whopping £27m but is yet to play a game, is due to return to the Emirates Stadium in the summer.

However, speaking to Le Parisien, he hinted that he would be willing to remain at his current club.

"There is always a chance [I stay]," Saliba said. "I do not hide that I am very happy in Marseille. I have developed, I have passed a milestone. If I make it into France's squad it's thanks to Marseille, because there is a lot of visibility.

"They are a very big club with a lot of pressure, but when you're good there are a lot of good things that happen to you. We will see in May or June depending on the discussions. Today, my future, I don't know what it is."

Arsenal have had a settled centre-back pairing this season, with Ben White and Gabriel performing well for the most part. But the latter has been linked with a move to Barcelona, which could provide an opening for Saliba to finally break into the first team.

Asked about the Frenchman's future recently, Mikel Arteta said: "I know that sometimes it's difficult to explain or understand after the money that the club has spent trying to bring him in, to send him on loan."

"But a lot of things have happened to him he’s a long-term player for us and we need to protect him as well. And giving him three or four games is not enough. He's very happy to go there now. Hopefully, he can enjoy his football and be ready for us for next season."

For more from Matt O’Connor-Simpson, follow him on Twitter