Real Madrid pushing hard to sign Arsenal's William Saliba

Reports suggest Real Madrid are pushing hard to sign Arsenal defender William Saliba.

With Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expected to leave the club this summer, and Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso widely touted to replace him, it is believed the Los Blancos hierarchy are keen to freshen up the squad ahead of next season.

One area of the pitch in which Real appear in need of reinforcements is defence, with the Spanish giants having been left short in this position during the 2024/25 campaign following long-term injuries to Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal.

Real are already primed to make one high-profile defensive acquisition in the form of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer from Liverpool, while Frenchman Saliba is believed to be high up on the club's wish list for a new centre-back.

When Real will be able to broker a deal for Saliba is another matter, with the 24-year-old contracted at Arsenal until the summer of 2027.

The La Liga outfit have a track record of recruiting new signings upon the expiry of their contracts, notably picking up David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe and now Trent Alexander-Arnold for free via this method, and Real may look to try the same with Saliba.

However, given Real's current lack of depth in the centre-back position, they may look to recruit Saliba quicker and test Arsenal's resolve with a transfer bid this summer.

Despite Real Madrid's reported interest, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains confident Saliba's long-term future lies at the Emirates.

At his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal's defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League, Gunners boss Arteta said:

Obviously it's our negotiations and things that have to take time and process and be on top of them, but I'm quite confident that William is very happy here and that's the place he wants to be.

Signed by Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in 2019, Saliba has developed into one of the best defenders in the Premier League under the management of Arteta over the last few seasons.

Saliba is now also an established senior France international and has been capped 28 times by Les Bleus.

James Wilson

• Arsenal F.C.
• Real Madrid CF
• Premier League
• La Liga
• • 
  •