Real Madrid have Arsenal’s William Saliba on their agenda for the summer and the French media have been reporting this for several months.
Last October, Le10 Sport reported the La Liga club have already held talks with the 23-year-old’s entourage. A month later, the same outlet stated the Gunners opened renewal talks.
Saliba’s contract lasts until 2027, and Arsenal haven’t secured his renewal so far.
A fresh report from RMC Sport covers Real Madrid interest in the centre-back. Florentino Pérez, the Champions League winners’ chairman, and his team, have started planning for the summer.
The Arsenal star is mentioned when discussing options for defence. The report states the France international is an ‘absolute priority’ for the Madrid club, but it won’t be easy to snatch him from the north London side.
Arsenal aren’t keen on opening their exit door for Saliba, who they consider ‘the best in the world’.
Mikel Arteta’s side are expected to demand a ‘dissuasive price’ from the Spanish giants. The outlet hasn’t mentioned any figure, but Arsenal will use this tactic to ‘block any possibility of a transfer’.
If Real Madrid were to still push for Saliba, then Arsenal want him to become the most expensive defender in the world.
Manchester City paid €90m to buy Joško Gvardiol from RB Leipzig in 2023 and he’s currently the most expensive defender. Los Blancos will have to offer more than that if they want to take Saliba away from Arsenal in the summer.
