Arsenal have started planning to make a new signing in defence as they continue to monitor William Saliba’s injury at the World Cup.
Saliba was a doubt for the World Cup due to a back injury which he suffered ahead of the Champions League final in May.
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The 24-year-old has made a strong start to the tournament and played a key role in helping Les Bleus reach the Round of 32 with relative ease.
The Gunners are still keeping a close eye on the Frenchman’s issue and have started making transfer plans which may worry the club’s supporters.
Arsenal’s checks on centre-back options raise William Saliba injury concern
Arsenal have been making checks on several centre-back options this summer, according to Hand of Arsenal via Roundtable.
Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix is one of the players the Gunners are keen on and Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa is another.
Both players have proven themselves to be very solid Premier League level defenders, which is something Mikel Arteta seems to like when it comes to transfer targets.
Lacroix has also emerged as a strong target for Chelsea this summer, with the French defender open to leaving Crystal Palace.
The 26-year-old is part of France’s World Cup squad, with Saliba; meanwhile, Konsa is with England, playing alongside Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.
The worry is though, Arsenal are already well stocked with centre-backs, so bringing in another suggests they might have fears over Saliba’s injury.
Hand of Arsenal adds that the Gunners are closely tracking the defender’s injury status, but will only have a clear picture after the tournament is finished.
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For now, they can only make contingency plans, with defensive options being sounded out in the event they need to sign another centre back.
Saliba, who is valued at £87 million, does not seem to be struggling over in the United States, having played 90 minutes against Senegal and Iraq.
French media suggested Saliba looked fine against Iraq and his back did not show any signs of causing his performance levels to dip.
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