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Chelsea prodigy

Ampadu, an 18-year-old central-defender who can also play in a defensive midfield role, came up through the youth ranks of Exeter City, before making the move to Chelsea in 2017.

And the young stopper has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most highly-regarded starlets on the books of the Blues.

Despite his tender years, Ampadu emerged as a regular member of Chelsea’s first-team squad last season, going on to notch a none-too-shabby 8 appearances across all competitions.

In addition, the gifted teen has already racked up 8 caps for Wales.

‘In the interest of Ethan and Chelsea’

With the likes of David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all ahead of him in the central-defensive pecking order at Stamford Bridge, however, the path to a starting berth week-in, week-out, looks a tough one to navigate for Ampadu at present.

Ethan Ampadu during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

As such, when the Welshman was omitted from Chelsea’s pre-season squad that flew to Japan earlier this week, Blues’ boss Frank Lampard was quickly questioned on his plans for Ampadu for the coming season.

And Lampard went on to admit that the club intend to loan the prodigious teen out:

‘We are looking at the possibility of Ethan going on loan for the season.’

‘I tried to sign Ethan on loan at Derby last year so I’m a big fan, but with the minutes he played last year, in the interest of Ethan and of Chelsea, the idea he can play a lot of games somewhere could be good for him. That’s not done yet, but we haven’t brought him here while that’s up in the air.’

‘I really wanted to work with Ethan this year. That’s a slight disappointment, but it’s to benefit him. In midfield and defence we have a lot of quality, so each player is a case by case.’

Leipzig bound?

Aston Villa were previously viewed as the front-runners to clinch Ampadu’s signature on a temporary basis, but, as per the aforementioned updates spreading across social media this evening, the versatile Chelsea man could in fact be set for a surprise move to the Bundesliga.

This comes after Ampadu was photographed in the city of Leipzig.

This has since led to inevitable speculation that the youngster will spend the 2019/20 campaign with RB Leipzig.

Saint-Etienne standout

Saliba, an 18-year-old centre-half, broke into the first-team ranks at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard for the first time this past season.

The imposing stopper, who stands at 6ft 4in tall, went on to make 19 appearances across all competitions, impressing onlookers across Europe with his combination of stature and poise.

Saliba has also been capped by France at every level up to U19, with his performances at the heart of Saint-Etienne’s backline throughout the campaign having seen the teen establish himself as one of the most highly-regarded young players in Ligue 1.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, recently had the following to say about Saliba:

‘I think he has everything needed to become a good player, much like Kurt Zouma, who I signed.’

Gaitan Laborde vies with William Saliba during the match between Saint-Etienne and Montpellier. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

Arsenal interest

As such, the potential showcased by the stopper to this point in his fledgling career unsurprisingly saw Saliba added to the respective wishlists of a number of clubs around Europe.

A report from Charles Watts of Goal.com in May revealed that two of the outfits interested in the Saint-Etienne starlet were Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United.

Unai Emery’s Gunners, though, had long been said to be particularly keen.

In fact, Saliba was reportedly identified as the north Londoners’ ‘top’ transfer target this summer.

Emirates bound

Reports emanating from France early last month confirmed that Arsenal were making serious inroads in their pursuit of the stopper, with the personal terms of a contract said to have been agreed between the parties.

And, despite a scare courtesy of north London rivals Tottenham last week, the Gunners had nevertheless long-been viewed as clear front-runners to eventually secure a deal for Saliba.

As such, reports quickly spreading across the European media tonight that Arsenal have finally sealed a deal for the stopper have come as little surprise.

In news that was first announced by Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport, and has since been backed by the reliable Fabrizio Romano, the capital giants and Saint-Etienne have reached a full agreement over Saliba’s transfer.

Arsenal will fork over 29 million Euro, including bonuses, to the Ligue 1 outfit.

Saliba is expected to put pen-to-paper on a 5-year deal at the Emirates, with the Frenchman’s will having proven crucial in negotiations.

The deal will then finally be made official next Tuesday.