Arsenal are close to completing a deal worth around £27million for William Saliba, with the defender due to be loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the upcoming season.

The Gunners have been in talks with the French club for a number of weeks after identifying Saliba as a top target.

The 18-year-old only broke into the Saint-Etienne first team last season but he has done enough to convince Arsenal to move for him.

The deal will be structured using instalments, meaning that Arsenal can keep a portion of their £40m transfer budget to spend on more recruits this summer.

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has emerged as an option on loan, while they are still interested in Celtic defender Kieran Tierney after failing with offers so far.

Arsenal are currently in the United States for their pre-season tour and they continued their 100 per cent record by beating Bayern Munich in the early hours of this morning.

As was the case in their opening win of Colorado Rapids, it was the young players who caught the eye for Arsenal during their victory in Los Angeles.

Given the Gunners’ modest transfer budget, the idea of promoting several youngsters to the first team has been suggested as a solution and head coach Unai Emery has promised to give them opportunities to impress in the build-up to the new season.

“We have the responsibility with the young players to give them chances and we want also to use different young players to help us,” said Emery.

Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 27 show all Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“They are going to be with us in the pre-season and some players are also going to be with us in the season. Each match, each minute they can show their performance like today.

“We need them for the moment but also in the future. Our responsibility at this club for the history, for the present and for the future is to have young players with the possibilities to take chances.

“We are going to play next Saturday against Fiorentina also in another match and we are going to use young players