Arsenal remain calm despite links to Real Madrid

Despite much recent speculation, including reports yesterday that Real Madrid had contacted Saliba’s entourage, sources close to the situation have told CaughtOffside that Arsenal remain relaxed about the France international’s future.

Saliba’s contract at the Emirates Stadium expires in 2027, and there is still a feeling that he is happy at the club and fully focused on achieving good results with the Gunners, but there is no confirmation whether Real Madrid has taken any specific steps.

Antonio Rudiger has recently spoken about wanting Saliba to join Real Madrid, but it seems all of this has been widely dismissed as media noise and Arsenal is nothing to panic about.

William Saliba transfer: Real Madrid looking for centre-back

However, CaughtOffside understands that Real Madrid are indeed exploring the centre-back market in the summer of 2025 as they specifically missed out on Lenny Yoro, who joined Manchester United this season.

Saliba makes sense as an ideal replacement for Los Blancos, but there is currently no sign that the 23-year-old poses any real risk prompting him to leave Arsenal.

Arsenal have sold their star players in the past, often with poor results, and Wenger was unable to retain many of his big-name players during the latter stages of his reign in north London.

Mikel Arteta doesn’t want to make the same mistake, so one would imagine he would be adamant that players like Saliba need to stay in the squad for as long as possible.

Not long ago, Saliba signed a new contract along with other stars such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White.

All in all, the AFC’s future looks bright, so it’s no surprise that they think they can now convince a world-class talent like Saliba to stay rather than seek a move to Madrid or another European giant.