Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has reportedly told Marseille that he wants to stay at the club beyond the conclusion of his loan spell.
The Gunners forked out £27m to sign the youngster from Saint-Etienne in 2019, but he is yet to be handed his first-team debut for the club.
Saliba impressed on loan at Nice during the second half of the 2020-21 season, but Mikel Arteta did not deem the France international ready to make the step-up to Premier League football.
However, Saliba has enjoyed a remarkable season with Marseille, making 51 appearances in all tournaments and winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
Saliba's exploits in his homeland have also seen him break into Didier Deschamps's France setup, and he has been included in the Bleus squad for June's Nations League fixtures.
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The 21-year-old remains under contract until 2024, and Arteta has been expected to integrate him into the first team during the upcoming pre-season period.
Marseille are determined to keep Saliba on the books permanently, though, and RMC Sport now claims that the centre-back has informed the club of his wishes to stay on.
The report adds that Olympiens coach Jorge Sampaoli has earmarked the permanent signing of Saliba as a "priority", and the player has spoken to president Pablo Longoria to try to engineer a move.
Furthermore, Saliba is one of the first names on the teamsheet at Marseille, and the defender would likely not accept a rotation role at Arsenal as he pushes for a place in the France squad at the 2022 World Cup.
Les Olympiens would supposedly be in favour of a new loan deal with an option or obligation to buy in the summer of 2023, with Longoria set for a period of difficult negotiations with Arsenal.
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Back in January, multiple outlets reported that Marseille were set for a two-window transfer ban due to the Pape Gueye saga, with the midfielder joining the club just after signing a contract at Watford.
Neither the club nor the league has officially confirmed that the ban is in place, though, with Marseille taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this year.
Marseille wrapped up a deal for ex-Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac back in January, and the French side are also set to complete the permanent signing of Matteo Guendouzi this summer.
Sampaoli's side will seal a top-three finish in Ligue 1 and place in the Champions League with victory over Strasbourg on Saturday, but Saliba will not be involved due to suspension.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will likely be condemned to Europa League football unless they get the better of Everton and Norwich City pull off a shock win over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the Premier League season.
Arteta has already lost one centre-back ahead of the summer window, with Stuttgart announcing the permanent signing of Konstantinos Mavropanos on Thursday.
Ben Knapton
