First Konaté and now him, he cancels his contract renewal because he only has eyes for Madrid.

Real Madrid is still adjusting to its elimination from the Club World Cup. The heavy defeat against PSG makes it clear that more reinforcements are needed in defense, especially after the serious mistakes by Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio in that match. Finding two replacements of their caliber is not an easy task at all.

Very concrete plan

The executives led by Florentino Pérez are closely monitoring the signings of several of their targets on the shortlist. One of the most concerning areas of the first team, regarding generational change, is the defense. The shortage of reinforcements in the heart of the backline recorded during the 24/25 season can't be repeated.

That's why from the Valdebebas offices, they would have launched a carefully crafted plan to secure the services of two high-quality center-backsin two consecutive summers. The first of those chosen is starting to show optimistic results: Ibrahima Konaté, if he doesn't renew with Liverpool, only wants to move to Real Madrid.

The arrival of this French center-back, who could follow the same path as Trent Alexander-Arnold, would take place during the summer transfer window of 2026... taking advantage of his status as a free agent. The second center-back on the shortlist for the white squad would also join Santiago Bernabéu locker room on a free transfer, but it would be a year later.

The name William Saliba has been circulating for some time in the transfer orbit of Real Madrid, even becoming the top transfer priority for the current summer window. Nothing could be further from the truth: the selected signing turned out to be  Dean Huijsen, given that this signing offered a lower cost than that demanded by Arsenal's "2".

Complicated dilemma to solve

In any case, Real Madrid knows that William Saliba's contract with the English club ends in mid-2027. Several emissaries from the Spanish capital club have already conveyed the white squad's interest in securing his signing on a free transfer. They just need to wait two seasons for it to become a reality.

From the upper echelons of Emirates Stadium, they are not unaware of these hypothetical approaches by Real Madrid to William Saliba's camp, so they would have activated their own plan. The gunner sporting management wants to renew his contract as soon as possible, an option that Saliba is not fully convinced about.

Indeed, his "dream" would be to move to Real Madrid according to information published by "GOAL". This British sports outlet highlights that the player would welcome a change of team, following the conditions set by the white board... at the same time as Arsenal sends him a renewal offer to clear up all those doubts.

It remains to be seen how William Saliba will react, who, like Ibrahima Konaté or Kylian Mbappé, has the possibility of pursuing his "dream" of wearing the white jersey. Real Madrid will wait patiently for the center-back's decision, knowing that it has plenty of options to replace him, despite him being one of the favorite signings within the club.