‘The next VVD’ – Some Arsenal fans desperate to seal signature of £10.8m-rated starlet

Arsenal fans are getting tetchy over news that they are reportedly close to sealing their first major signing of the summer.

Despite being linked with Saint-Etienne youngster William Saliba for a number of weeks, developments on a potential move have been fairly quiet of late, although noise coming out of France suggests that a deal is ‘progressing well’.

With the 18-year-old centre-back also attracting interest from Manchester United, competition for the £10.8m-rated defender could see the French club command a transfer fee of around £25m.

At that price, you’d think the wonderkid holds some promise, and with a potentially bright future ahead of him, Arsenal may be wise to buy now while his asking price remains affordable.

And with The Gunners in the market for a defender this summer, the youngster could be the long-term investment they are looking for in a bid to bolster their backline full of ageing stars.

Fans will be hoping that potential arrival of Frenchman Saliba will help to stem the catalogue of errors committed by the Arsenal defence last season – and have voiced their desire for manager Unai Emery to get the deal done and bring ‘the next Virgil Van Dijk’ to Emirates Stadium: