- 10 hours ago
Arsenal make Saliba statement amid Real Madrid transfer interest
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 14 Oct 2024 10:21 BST
- 2 min read
Real Madrid have made Arsenal centre-back William Saliba a top target ahead of the summer transfer window in 2025
The Frenchman is wanted by Madrid but now the Gunners made their feelings clear on the matter. French outlet Le10Sport recently reported that Los Blancos want to build their defence around Saliba next year.
The 23-year-old is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until June 2027 after signing an extension last year. According to The Express, the Gunners are nonplussed by any Real Madrid interest.
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Indeed, Mikel Arteta's side are holding firm that he is not for sale and that any offers - however large - will be turned down. The defender is considered to be one of the best in his position in the world today and his pairing with Gabriel is unrivalled. Arsenal had the best defensive record in the Premier League last season, keeping 18 clean sheets and conceding only 29 goals.
Saliba has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €79.5 million, making him the Gunners' third most valuable player behind Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
Current ETV
William Saliba
D (C)
Arsenal
William Saliba
D (C)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€59.6M - €99.4M
Romano on Saliba
The story makes sense as the La Liga champions have been beset by injury problems in the middle of their defence lately, with David Alaba now not expected back until 2025.
But Fabrizio Romano had other ideas. He spoke about the links to Real Madrid last week. “A story that keeps coming up at the moment is William Saliba and a possible move away from Arsenal - in recent weeks we’ve heard a few times about Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, but I can honestly say I have no confirmation of any of this, including on the claim that Real Madrid contacted Saliba’s entourage,” he wrote for the Daily Briefing.
“I’m not aware of anything concrete at this stage - all I know is that Saliba is fully focused on Arsenal, while Arsenal obviously also consider Saliba as a key part of their project, nothing else.”
