BREAKING: Ancellotti have table transfer request to sign £70m highl rated Arsenal defender – Manager have pleaded with Mikel Arteta to include £80m forward in sensational swap deal
Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Arsenal defender William Saliba.
Saliba has developed into one of the best centre-backs in the world at Arsenal, having spent time out on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille before breaking into the first team under Mikel Arteta.
And according to French outlet Le 10 Sport, Madrid have made Saliba their ‘top priority’ for next summer. The report states that Madrid have already made contact with Saliba’s entourage to gauge his interest in a potential move.
It comes after Madrid missed out on signing Leny Yoro, with the defender instead making a £58.7million move to Manchester United. However, any deal for Saliba will be expensive as Arsenal are unwilling to let a key player leave and he did sign a new contract last year.
“Honestly the decision was easy because I had a really good season last season, but unfortunately I didn’t finish it because of injury,” Saliba said after extending his deal until 2027. “So I want more. I want to play more years for this amazing club.
“I didn’t achieve anything yet, so I want to win everything with this club. I think we can achieve everything. Of course, it’s easy to say this, but we have the coach, we have the character, we have the players and every year the team gets stronger.
“We have better players with a good mentality. We have a good experience from the last season as well. We know that the season is so long. So we are confident and we know we can do something good at this club.”
And Arteta has been delighted with the partnership Saliba has developed with Gabriel Magalhaes in recent seasons, with the pair key to Arsenal’s success. “You have to see the development day by day,” he said last month.
“Obviously we believed they could become really good. That togetherness and chemistry is unique, it’s something that they built. It happened very organically as well. I’m very proud to have them the level they are showing is incredible.”
