Report suggests how Arsenal could end up spending another £4.5m on William Saliba before he plays for club

Arsenal may end up having to spend more money on the Frenchman before he even plays for the club.

Arsenal may end up paying a further €5 million (£4.5m) for William Saliba before he kicks a ball for the club, based on a report from L’Equipe. 

It is quite a complex issue but it basically boils down to two simple points, if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League and Saliba plays in the Coupe de France final, Arsenal will have to spend the extra cash. 

As reported by Foot Mercato, Arsenal signed Saliba for €25 million (£22.5m) last summer but with a further €5 million (£2.5m) in potential bonuses for the Frenchman. 

Now, L’Equipe has revealed what would need to happen for Arsenal to pay those apparent bonuses. 

It is suggested that Arsenal had an agreement in place to pay £2.25 million to Les Verts, should Saliba start a third of the Ligue 1 side’s games this season. Should Saliba play in the cup final against PSG, which is set to go ahead despite the rest of the French domestic season being cancelled, he will reach that milestone. 

The other £2.25 million will be due to Saint-Etienne at any point that Arsenal qualify for the Champions League after the conclusion of Saliba’s move to The Emirates last summer. With the Gunners five points behind fifth-place Manchester United, the current cut-off due to Manchester City’s suspension from Champions League football next season, that is also not beyond the realms of possibility. 

It seems that Arsenal could end up paying an extra £4.5 million for the 19-year-old before he has even kicked a ball for the Gunners. 

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