Club president hints on-loan Arsenal star may never return

A promising Arsenal star currently out on loan could end up making his temporary switch permanent if the comments from his club’s president are anything to go by.

Arsenal are expected to be working with a limited transfer budget in the January window.

As such, manager Mikel Arteta must shuffle his pack in order to free up space and funding for new arrivals.

A number of loan exits for the club’s youngsters lacking in game-time have been speculated. Indeed, Frenchman William Saliba recently departed via the loan route to Nice last week.

The 19-year-old spoke of a lack of faith shown in him by Arteta after being afforded zero appearances in the current campaign.

Talk of a longer stint in France has already begun to swirl. Furthermore, the latest comments from Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere have added fuel to the fire.

The Metro cite him as saying on Saliba’s future: “Let’s let him rediscover enjoying being on the pitch, playing.

“At the end of the six months, we’ll see – today he’s owned by a club called Arsenal.

“Everyone in June will come together and decide.

When quizzed on whether Nice could potentially extend the deal, Rivere added: “A door is always open in life.

“When you have a situation where parties can talk, the doors are open. We will see, we are not there yet.”

Despite his recent arrival, Saliba was thrust into the spotlight immediately as he completed a full 90 minutes when Nice played Brest on Wednesday night.

New competition emerges in Arsenal hunt

Meanwhile, Arsenal now have rivals to fend off in their pursuit of a Championship star who has hit the ground running this season, according to reports.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for Norwich City midfielder Emi Buendia.

The Argentine has notched seven goals and seven assists this campaign with the Canaries top of the second tier.

They still remain favourites to land the 24-year-old but now Valencia have thrown their name into the mix, according to La Razon.

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