Arsenal face losing Gabriel AND William Saliba, as new fears arise: report

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Arsenal's defensive duo are attracting interest from across Europe and the Middle East

Arsenal's William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes embrace each other in celebration at full-time of the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on 25 January, 2025
Arsenal defenders Saliba and Gabriel (Image credit: Alamy)

Much of Arsenal's recent success has been attributed to their strong defence

So far this season the Gunners have conceded the least amount of goals in the Premier League (24) and building on last season where they conceded just 29 times.

Gabriel and William Saliba are at the heart of that, with the Brazilian and the Frenchman forming a formidable bond at both ends of the pitch.

Fears Arsenal duo could be on the move arrive as 'mega-money' move lined up - report

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 16: Magalhaes Gabriel of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Arsenal defender Gabriel (Image credit: Getty Images)

Gabriel was the focus of some interest from Saudi Arabia at the start of last season, when he didn't start any of Arsenal's opening three games, and it looks like that interest may be revived in the coming months.

Football Insider believe that Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are readying a move for Gabriel, but Arsenal are prepared to turn down any advances and are prepared to offer him a new contract in order to secure his future at the club.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 2: William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Emirates Stadium on February 2, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

William Saliba is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world right now (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to ex-scout Mike Brown via Football Insider, Arsenal are "more likely to sign Gabriel to a new contract rather than let him leave this summer".

Interest has been shown in his defensive companion Saliba, with Real Madrid reportedly interest in securing his services.

A deal for Real Madrid to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer from Liverpool seems all but wrapped up and it appears their attention is now turning to the Arsenal centre-back.

Multiple sources have confirmed the interest from Los Blancos, and renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested the French defender was viewed as a 'superstar' by the 15-time Champions League winners.

Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024 in London, England

Gabriel celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal look set to miss out on the Premier League title for the third year running and losing their two star defenders, who are ranked as the third and fourth best centre-backs in the world by FourFourTwo would not help in their quest to win an elusive piece of silverware next season.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, while Arsenal offer a potent attacking threat, their strongest asset is their defence, and allowing to Gabriel or Saliba to leave would rewind years of progress.

Ewan Gennery
Ewan Gennery
Freelance writer

Ewan is a freelance writer and social media manager who has worked for The Athletic, GOAL, 90min and OneFootball. From Gelsenkirchen to Riyadh, he has covered some of the biggest games in football in his three years in the industry.