Arsenal's 'critical' view on William Saliba saga amid impressive Marseille loan

Arsenal are planning on opening negotiations to extend William Saliba 's Gunners contract next year once he returns from his loan spell at Marseille.

The curious case of the French defender rumbles on having still not played a minute of competitive football for Arsenal despite joining two years ago for a fee worth £27m.

Saliba arrived in north London in the summer of 2019 before being immediately sent on loan back to his former side St Etienne to gain further experience, as the centre-back was just 18 at the time.

Having not played enough during the 2019/20 campaign in the eyes of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, Saliba was sent away on a second loan spell to Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Have Arsenal let Saliba down with their handling of him? Comment below

However, that was not before he was forced to waste half a season without kicking a ball for anyone due to a calamitous error from the Arsenal board.

Saliba was not registered for Arsenal's 2020/21 Europa League squad due to the fact it was assumed the Gunners would find him a club to go to on loan in the summer.

When that failed to materialise, Arsenal inadvertently ruled out a pathway to first-team football for Saliba given Arteta did not want to risk a defender so young in the Premier League.

A loan stint at Nice duly followed, before this term has seen Saliba enjoy his third stint away from Arsenal without even playing in front of the Gunners' faithful.

Saliba currently finds himself yet again back in Ligue 1, this time in the colours of Marseille, where he has earned plenty of plaudits, particularly for his recent display against Paris Saint-Germain.

The 20-year-old was near faultless quelling the attacking threat of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and co., keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw.

What business should Arsenal do in the January transfer window? Vote below

As a result, rumours have begun to circulate that Marseille will devote their entire transfer budget to keeping Saliba at the Stade Velodrome on a permanent basis.

Whether Marseille could meet the kind of valuation the Gunners would expect remains to be seen, but it appears to have prompted action from the Arsenal hierarchy - who wish to open contract extension negotiations with Saliba.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal view contract negotiations with the defender as a situation that boasts critical importance, with just two-and-ahalf years left on his current deal.

Arsenal's treatment of Saliba has received widespread backlash from French media and fans alike, who are keen for the defender to remain in his home country rather than return to the Premier League.

The idea behind extending Saliba's contract has very little downside from an Arsenal perspective.

The France U-21 international either performs well enough to play his way into Arsenal's first team, or retains value and ensures another club will have to fork out a significant fee to entice him away from the Emirates.