ARSENAL have beaten Tottenham Hotspur to the signature of Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba, but reports suggest the transfer won't be confirmed for a while yet.
Despite a five-year deal being agreed between player and club, there is still work to do.
According to ESPN, the fact Arsenal are on a pre-season tour of the United States is delaying the official announcement.
The Gunners still have Fiorentina and Real Madrid to play, in Charlotte and Maryland respectively, after beating Bayern Munich and Colorado Rapids.
It isn't until July 24 they face Real, after which they return to the UK to play in the Emirates Cup.
Arsenal fans will hope that the Saliba deal is confirmed by then.
But there is little rush, in theory, given the player's agreement and his return to Saint-Etienne on loan for the 2019/20 season.
The transfer fee is reported to tip £27million after the French defender broke out in Ligue 1 over the winter.
In his final 11 appearances of last season, his side won nine times as they finished fourth and qualified for the Europa League.
Although Arsenal's defence was widely derided during Unai Emery's first year in charge, it appears he is willing to wait on the right recruit coming in to shore things up.
Meanwhile the club are strongly linked with a defensive reinforcement down the left flank: Kieran Tierney of Celtic.
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