Arsenal might be losing William Saliba for FREE - and there’s nothing they can do about it

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 05: William Saliba of Arsenal runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Southampton FC at Emirates Stadium on October 05, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Saliba playing for Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal defender William Saliba has cemented himself as one of the Premier League's best defenders in recent seasons - inevitably leading to interest from elite clubs elsewhere in Europe.

Naturally, one of those sides is Real Madrid. According to French outlet Le 10 Sport, Los Blancos are set to make Saliba their "top priority" in 2025, with the Frenchman viewed as the perfect centre-back for their star-studded team.

The report adds that Real Madrid have already contacted Saliba's representatives over a potential move, but it seems Arsenal are actually at greater risk of losing the 23-year-old for free when his contract expires at the end of the 2026/27 season.

Arsenal could lose William Saliba for free

William Saliba Arsenal defender celebrates in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur as Real Madrid target him

Saliba has been one of the league's best defenders (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite their assembling of a second-generation Galactico squad in recent seasons, Real Madrid have actually opted against paying transfer fees for defenders since signing Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao in 2019 for €53m and €50m, respectively.

Instead, Los Blancos have placed a lot more emphasis on signing midfielders and attacking talent for big money, with Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Endrick all arriving in hefty moves.

In the same period, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger have both arrived on free transfers after letting their contracts run down at their previous clubs, with the lure of Real Madrid simply too good to refuse.

Carlo Ancelotti celebrates after Real Madrid's Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund in June 2024 as he targets Arsenal defender William Saliba

Ancelotti has created a star-studded team (Image credit: Getty Images)

So while Arsenal might hold out for a nine-figure sum for Saliba - considerably more than the €80m Transfermarkt values him at - the pulling power of Carlo Ancelotti's side could see the defender refuse a new contract at the Emirates and hold out for a move to the Spanish capital.

Trophies are inevitable at the Bernabeu, while Saliba is still waiting for his first piece of proper silverware in north London. True, Mikel Arteta's side are on the cusp of relinquishing Manchester City's grip of the Premier League title, but there's no guarantee they'll manage it in the near future - at Real Madrid, though, a La Liga or Champions League crown is always just a season away.

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Plus, Real Madrid have proven with the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga that they're willing to wait for priority signings. Two years to land Saliba will take some patience, but it took them three years before eventually landing Mbappe in the summer. Saliba will still only be just 26 when the summer of 2027 comes around, too.

Whether Arsenal like it or not, FourFourTwo believes there's certainly a huge risk that Saliba will leave for free in the summer of 2027. Player power is at an all-time high, and the Frenchman has plenty of options available to him.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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