Arsenal on Alert: Real Madrid Wants Saliba to Strengthen Their Defense

The Real Madrid board seems to have finally decided to sign another center-back next summer. The injuries of David Alaba and Éder Militao, along with the departure of Nacho Fernández, forced Carlo Ancelotti to rely exclusively on Antonio Rüdiger for the entire season, accompanied by Aurélien Tchouaméni, who has not fared well in the role of defender. After the German's injury, the Italian coach had no choice but to turn to the youth team to face a crucial stretch of the season.

Raúl Asencio (22 years old) has been tasked with supporting Tchouaméni in recent matches, delivering good performances in La Liga and the Champions League. However, Florentino Pérez does not want to compete in the Club World Cup with a patched-up defense and, according to Fabrizio Romano, has set his sights on one of Arsenal's center-backs for the upcoming summer market. This is William Saliba, an undisputed French international for Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal Will Only Let Saliba Go for a Fortune

Saliba is under contract until 2027 and has played practically everything this season with the 'gunners', scoring a couple of goals in 33 matches (2,895 minutes). The 23-year-old player arrived at the London club in 2019 from St-Étienne for 30 million euros and his market value reaches 80 million euros on Transfermarkt. In this regard, Arsenal will not let him go for less than that amount, a figure that complicates the transfer plans of a Real Madrid that, in the last two years, has shied away from high transfers.

Jude Bellingham (€113M), in 2023, was the last major acquisition of the 'Casa Blanca', as Kylian Mbappé ended up arriving on a free transfer last summer. However, the team's urgencies seem to force Florentino to activate the checkbook again. Rüdiger will turn 32 in March and has shown signs of extreme fatigue after almost two seasons without rest. Asencio has not done badly, but he still has a long way to go before becoming a 'top' defender.