Real Madrid have made contact with Arsenal defender William Saliba’s entourage ahead of a potential player transfer According to a report from France, this will happen next summer.
The towering centre-back has been a stalwart defensive pillar for the Gunners since returning from his loan spell at Marseille in 2022. A season-ending back injury shortened his first full season of 2022/23 – and saw Arsenal subsequently slip out of the Premier League summit – but Saliba has missed just one of the club’s last 59 top-flight games.
Saliba possesses a unique blend of mental agility and physical prowess and is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, central defenders in the world. This imperious profile has piqued the interest of arguably the best club team in the world.
According to a report from Madrid has contacted Saliba’s representatives Foot Mercato. Much to Carlo Ancelotti’s disappointment, the reigning European champions are not expected to make any defensive reinforcements in January and a possible move for Saliba will be further discussed in the summer.
Whenever they arrive, there is no doubt that Madrid will need more defensive options.
Injuries to Eder Militao and David Alaba have forced Ancelotti to clumsily push defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni into the centre-back role alongside the impeccable Antonio Rüdiger. The Frenchman has rarely seemed comfortable in the position, which has resulted in an unexpected amount of minutes for 21-year-old Raul Asencio this season.
It would require a large transfer fee to pry Saliba away from Arsenal, who have tied the 23-year-old to a contract that runs until 2027. Madrid are also watching RB Leipzig’s young central defender Castello Lukeba, who would cost significantly less than his French compatriot but does not have the same guarantee of quality.