Atletico Madrid transfer interest more evidence Arsenal should keep Saliba
Robin Bairner
- 20 Apr 2022 12:36 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal’s William Saliba may not have played a competitive first-team game for the club, but the on-loan Marseille defender is the subject of serious transfer interest this summer.
Saliba has excelled over the course of his loan to Ligue 1 and has played a major role in OM climbing into second in the top flight.
The centre-back has admitted previously that he is open to staying with Marseille for a longer period, but now there is interest from Atletico Madrid in the 21-year-old, who has earned two caps for France.
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Saliba gets Simeone stamp of approval
Fichajes reports that the Spanish club was to rebuild their defence around the Paris-born defender.
While Mikel Arteta has been curiously unwilling to use Saliba at Arsenal, anyone that has the Diego Simeone stamp of approval is effectively guaranteed as an accomplished defender.
Indeed, Atleti have built a Golden Age for their club over the last 10 years thanks largely to their defensive solidarity, which has allowed them to win two Spanish titles and to reach a couple of Champions League finals.
That he is even being mentioned as a candidate for Atletico Madrid should be taken as a symbol of how well he is playing this season.
Of course, the decision is entirely up to Arsenal, but they will have to make it quickly. Saliba has a contract that runs until 2022, meaning that this summer could be their last chance to receive a sizeable fee for him.
Despite the rave reviews he has received in France, there is no guarantee that Arteta will want to keep him given his previous reticence to use him.
Saliba’s transfer fee is one that has increased dramatically over the course of the last season, which is the first campaign since he broke through with Saint-Etienne that he has really been able to enjoy a prolonged run of first-team football.
FootballTransfers values Saliba at around €25 million but with a top estimate of €31m – which is more than Arsenal initially invested in him.
