According to reports on Tuesday, Arsenal have reopened talks with Saint-Etienne over the possibility of giving Willian Saliba to rejoin the French club until the end of their season.
Saliba was on loan at Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 season, which saw him play a part in the club progressing to the Coupe de France final before the expiration of his short-term contract on June 30.
The two clubs found themselves in a public dispute after failing to reach agreement over terms to allow the 19-year-old stay on until the final scheduled for July 24, which was the initial plans of the pair.
However, French outlet L’Equipe is reporting that there has been a changed of mind from the Gunners’ end and further meetings have been held with representatives of Saint-Etienne which is said to have gone well.
It has been suggested that Arsenal would have paid a fee of £2.3 million to the Lique 1 side as bonus for that one more appearance, with Arsenal said to have opted out due to Saint-Etienne’s refusal to comply with the London club’s medical demands.
The final will be played against Paris Saint-Germain, with Saint-Etienne looking to win the trophy for the first time since 1977 against Stade de Reims.
