Mikel Arteta keen to sign Marc Guehi as William Saliba back-up amid injury concern

Arsenal are interested in signing Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi as back-up to William Saliba, it has been claimed.

The Gunners looked well on course to claim their first Premier League title in 19 years, before a run of four consecutive Premier League games without a win.

Indeed, in their last outing, Mikel Arteta’s side were humbled 4-1 by reigning champions Manchester City - a defeat which will likely prove to be a knockout blow in the title race.

Arsenal’s dip in form coincided with an injury Saliba sustained in a Europa League clash against Sporting last month.

The Frenchman has been kept out by the lower back injury, and his understudy Rob Holding has since faced the brunt of the criticism from Arsenal fans amid the club’s slump.

There are fears that Saliba may be out for the season after Arteta admitted that his recovery is taking longer than expected.

"Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more," Arteta revealed last week. "He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped and it is a bit delicate so we want to be certain that when we push him, he’s ready to absorb the load and the risk that we’ll take, and that’s not possible at the moment."

The Gunners have been tipped to bolster their centre-back options in the summer, with Champions League football back on the cards next season.

One player linked with the north Londoners is Palace’s Guehi.

Arsenal in for Guehi

According to the Sun, Guehi is a player that “interests” Mikel Arteta, and the centre-back could be signed as a backup to Saliba.

The 22-year-old, who has captained Palace on several occasions across his two seasons at Selhurst Park, would command a significant transfer fee however.

Guehi, who is a full England international, was signed from Chelsea for around £18million in 2021, while he still has three years remaining on his Palace deal.

Moreover, Guehi has played every single minute in all bar one Premier League match for the Eagles this campaign.

In turn, it is unclear whether he would be prepared to ditch his first-team role in south London to potentially sit on the bench at Arsenal, where Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes forging a formidable partnership this term.