Saliba's signing, set for a verdict, will sign until 2032

Real Madrid is closely monitoring the "cases" of the players who appear on its list of potential signings for the upcoming summers. This is especially true if those footballers can fulfill some of the requests left by Xabi Alonso after the experience at the Club World Cup: a center-back and a creative midfielder.

The demands for signings from the Tolosa coach  haven't been met during the 2025 summer transfer window, a situation that the executives led by Florentino Pérez are trying to rectify for 2026. That's why they don't hesitate to move forward with transfers they consider possible, such as the signing of Ibrahima Konaté: when January arrives, they will submit a pre-contract offer to the French center-back.

Another one of the stars that Real Madrid aims to add to Santiago Bernabéu locker room for the defense is William Saliba. Arsenal's "2" finishes his contract in the summer of 2027 and, to date, hasn't renewed, a sign that allows the club's top brass to consider signing him as a free agent. After several months of speculation, the gunner sporting management has decided to make a move to avoid what happened this summer with Trent Alexander-Arnold.

That's why, from the upper echelons of Emirates Stadium, they would have contacted William Saliba's camp to present him with a renewal offer of the highest order. Thus, Arsenal is offering a long-term renewal to one of the most important footballers for Mikel Arteta: up to five years of contract extension.

We'll see what happens

Given that his current deal ends in the summer of 2027, Arsenal is proposing that William Saliba stay with the club until mid-2032. That extension of his stay in the English capital would cause Real Madrid to lose practically all the interest it has shown so far in the French player. 

Not only because of the very high salary he could receive if he signs the proposed renewal reported by "Footmercato", which would give William Saliba an unbeatable financial shield. The club's coffers wouldn't be able to meet the demands that Arsenal would impose for the transfer of a renewed Saliba.

Also because of the age of the footballer. William Saliba would again offer the possibility of being signed as a free agent in the summer of 2032. By then, he would be 31 years old, an age that Real Madrid is leaving behind in its recruitment policy, with David Alaba or Antonio Rüdiger as the latest examples of this approach.

In "Footmercato" they make it clear that the scouts led by Juni Calafat are still following the entire situation very closely, although the outlook isn't exactly promising. Unlike Ibrahima Konaté, his Arsenal teammate and compatriot has always shown a greater willingness to keep wearing the Arsenal jersey at Emirates Stadium.