Man City hijack Real Madrid bid for ‘Bellingham of defenders’ after Alexander-Arnold warning

Robin Bairner

• 31 Mar 2025 05:30 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Manchester City have joined a three-way fight to secure the future of a player Real Madrid consider to be the ‘Jude Bellingham of defenders’, according to a report from Spain.

Arsenal are the third club involved, with Mikel Arteta’s side intent on retaining William Saliba, who is being eyed by their two rivals at the top of the European game.

Current ETV

William Saliba

D (C)

Arsenal

William Saliba

D (C)

Arsenal

€79.5M

ETV Range

€59.6M - €99.4M

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Real Madrid’s interest in Saliba is well established, with Arsenal having already told the Spaniards that the player will not be allowed to leave for the Bernabeu. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s imminent move to Los Blancos from Liverpool has served as a warning to Arsenal that few players are immune to the charms of the Spanish side.

Now a report from Defensa Central indicates that City have joined the race for the 24-year-old France international.

“One of the biggest problems that Man City are having is that they’ve lost their defensive reliability. That’s why they’re willing to put millions on the table to sign Saliba. In fact, they’re planning to do so this summer,” the Spanish source reports.

Saliba to City: An impossible deal?

Even if City are indeed willing to place a bid for Saliba, it seems inconceivable that they will be able to make Arsenal sell.

The Frenchman has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €79.5 million, making him the third most valuable centre-back in the world behind Pau Cubarsi of Barcelona and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol.

It would take a price many times this to secure a transfer, with even Real Madrid aware of the fact that they will likely need to break the world transfer record for a defender if they are to sign the centre-back. Indeed, this is likely one of the reasons why they have been looking closely at Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen in recent weeks.

With City being a direct Premier League rival, it would take an even bigger offer to force a transfer through.

Pep Guardiola’s side might be interested, but they are likely to receive an emphatic ‘no’ if they make Arsenal an offer for Saliba.