Transfer window: Barcelona planned bid for Arsenal defender William Saliba

Barcelona were keen on Arsenal defender William Saliba over the summer, it has been revealed.

The French defender, at 21, has become one of Arsenal’s most important players since returning from his loan spell at Ligue 1 side Marseille last season.

But Italian transfer Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that Barcelona drew up a list of alternatives if they failed to sign Jules Kounde – who had also been strongly linked with Chelsea.

At the top of that list, was Kounde’s France team-mate Saliba.

However, if Kounde, then of Sevilla, had opted to join Chelsea, it could still have been a tough task to bring Saliba to the Nou Camp.

The Gunners saw him as an important part of their plans going forward – a stance which they have been rewarded for given Saliba’s form at the start of the season.