Arsenal deal for star player may be off after rivals Spurs hijack move

The Gunners were thought to be close to sealing a deal for the French defender but there may be a final twist [Courtesy]

Tottenham are looking to get one over their bitter north London rivals Arsenal after they submitted a late €30m offer for young Saint-Etienne centre-back William Saliba.

Arsenal were reportedly close to finalising a deal which would see them sign the 18-year-old before loaning him back to the Ligue 1 club next season.

But Spurs have been monitoring the situation and have now allegedly submitted an offer which is more than that from Arsenal.

Respected RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi broke the news confirming Spurs had made an offer of £27m (€30m) excluding bonuses

Saint-Etienne officials are expected to discuss the deal over the weekend.

Arsenal's correspondent for Goal, Charles Watts, added: "Reports from France that Spurs have come in and bid beyond what Saint-Etienne wanted for Saliba. Saint-Etienne and Arsenal had agreed a deal, just not payment structure/bonus clauses. Could well be that Spurs have now hi-jacked it at the last minute."

The news will come as a bitter blow to Gunners fans who are desperate to see their club add to their squad, with young Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli their only current acquisition so far this summer.

And it would only rub salt into the wounds if Saliba chose their dearest rivals Spurs over them.

Spurs may well be preparing for life without Toby Alderweireld. The Belgian centre-back's contract is due to expire at the end of next season, and he has a release clause of £25m which could see him leave the club this summer.

It is not clear yet whether, like Arsenal were planning to do, Spurs would loan Saliba back to Saint-Etienne next season, but it is certainly a move that would be met with delight by their supporters, who would dearly love to steal a player from right under the nose of Arsenal.