LONDON – Arsenal defender William Saliba is set for his third loan spell after Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille signed him for the 2021-22 season, the Premier League club said.
Saliba, signed in 2019 from St Etienne for a reported fee of about £27 million, has yet to play for the senior team.
As part of the deal, he returned to St Etienne for a season on loan while he also had a six-month loan spell with Nice last season.
“Together with William, we have decided it will be good for his continued development to spend another season on loan,” Arsenal technical director Edu said in a statement according to Reuters.
“William joined us as an 18-year-old, and he is still only 20, so he is still developing all the time.”
Elsewhere, Leicester City has signed Ryan Bertrand on a two-year deal after the left back became a free agent following his release from Southampton, the Premier League club said.
Bertrand spent seven seasons with Saints, making 240 appearances for the south-coast club. The 31-year-old, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, also has 19 England caps but has not played for the Three Lions since 2017.
“Leicester has built something amazing over the years, especially since Brendan Rodgers has come in,” Bertrand said in a statement. “It’s fantastic to be a part of this fantastic club and I’m going to give my all to try and do the fans proud.”
Leicester, who won the FA Cup last season, begin their campaign with a Community Shield match against league champions Manchester City on 7 August before hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the Premier League season a week later.
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