A battle in north London is brewing over the signing of William Saliba.
The young French defender had looked certain to seal a £27m transfer to Arsenal in a deal which would have seen him loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the 2019/2020 campaign.
Some would argue that the Gunners need central defensive reinforcements urgently especially following Laurent Koscielny's actions this week.
However, the option to sign Saliba might be taken out of their hands completely.
Following on from reports in France, football.london have revealed that Tottenham Hotspur have indeed made a late move to snatch Saliba from under their north London rivals' noses and are in a position to offer the teenager a more lucrative package.
If Spurs' offer is accepted then it will come down to the defender to make a straight choice.
But has Saliba made up his mind already? Is an announcement forthcoming?
Well, just moments after Spurs' attempts to hijack Arsenal's deal his agent uploaded a picture to Instagram of the 'at' symbol accompanied by an hour glass emoji.
Of course it could all just be a coincidence, but the timing of this upload will certainly get supporters of both teams speculating if there's a deeper meaning behind it.
Regardless of which club Saliba chooses, it is his wish to spend next season in France.
"He will stay at the club this season," the Saint Etienne president, Roland Romeyer said . "It's is an imperative condition should we come to an agreement for his transfer.
"It’s also William's wish."
