Saliba's signing by Real Madrid heats up and Arsenal makes a move

One of the footballers Real Madrid would have marked as a possible target for the summer 2025 market is William Saliba. The shortage of personnel experienced by the first team this season, given the weakened defensive line in Santiago Bernabéu locker room, demands an immediate solution. The first measure would be the incorporation of Trent Alexander-Arnold, as a free agent, from Liverpool.

But the arrival of the '66' red is not the only signing planned in the Valdebebas offices. The resolution of the central defender dilemma has now become the main debate to be solved by the sports management, which handles several candidates who fit well into the team. The profile of William Saliba, Arsenal's defender, makes him the best positioned to arrive in the capital of Spain and immediately assume the starting position in defense.

Real Madrid's plan to acquire William Saliba's services is equipped with a triple layer. The first move is to send an offer during the next summer market, hoping to negotiate with the gunner bosses a transfer that suits both teams. However, the management is not willing to pay the 100 million initially demanded by the English club.

Anticipating those economic disagreements, Real Madrid would be close to activating the second layer of their plan to sign William Saliba: offering in summer 2026. The choice of that date is not random, since the Frenchman's '2' contract ends in mid-2027... and it could force Arsenal to negotiate down to gain economic benefit from that transfer or risk losing one of their top stars as a free agent.

Strong response

The last resort is to hold out until summer 2027 and attempt to sign William Saliba at zero cost. This third layer managed by Real Madrid in the 'Saliba case', as well as the second, would be in serious jeopardy according to the information published today by L'Équipe. From France, they warn that Arsenal, after some weeks of absolute institutional silence, would have initiated contacts with Saliba to forge his renewal.

This move by the gunner management aims to prevent Real Madrid from approaching William Saliba in a hypothetical free agent signing within two seasons. At the same time, they would deactivate the dilemma planned by the management for summer 2026, a pressure point that Real Madrid has applied to other players and other clubs... with varied results.

The renewal of William Saliba is intended to prevent the 24-year-old defender from leaving for little money in 2026, but also from doing so 'for free' the following year. That is the quickest and most decisive way Arsenal would have to thwart Real Madrid's plans, determined to secure a central defender as soon as possible. The shortage of personnel in the last line is not something Xabi Alonso will easily agree with.

From the Valdebebas offices, they know this, which is why they would have strived to finalize their plan for the recruitment of William Saliba. Arsenal's initial moves for a possible renewal do not inhibit the interest in the French defender, but their 'rivals' in this saga could take the lead... as long as that contract extension ends up materializing.