William Saliba Arsenal exit cannot be stopped as Edu face up to Real Madrid transfer pressure

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it is inevitable that William Saliba will leave Arsenal. The time will come that not one supporter wants to see, but the best centre-half in the Premier League from the past two seasons will indeed move on from the Gunners… but hopefully not for another decade.

Reported interest from Real Madrid has been circulating through the feeds over the past couple of hours sparking fear and worry among fans. It is hardly a surprise to see a player of his calibre be in reception of such links let alone if the interest proves to be real and even acted upon.

The reports for now have emerged from Alexis Bernard at le10sport who claims that Los Blancos see Saliba as their number one target for the summer of 2025. The reality is that Real will indeed be in the market to try and sign a defender next summer with both David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger into their thirties.

Eder Militao, 26, has suffered from persistent injury issues and is out right now with a muscle problem. It is an area that needs to be addressed and in all honesty, taking my Arsenal hat off, Saliba would be the perfect addition, at any price.

It seems as though that specific element, the price tag, would not be a stumbling block either. It should be pointed out here that Arsenal have zero intention of selling Saliba and he is seen as a vital part of their current squad and future.

Saliba signed a new deal with the club after many discussions over his situation last year. He extended through until 2027, the same as Bukayo Saka.

This means that come the end of the current season he will have just two years left on his deal. The nature of the extension in 2023 being for four years on improved terms and not five did to a degree raise eyebrows.

His start to life at Arsenal was not entirely smooth and he and Arteta have recovered a relationship that threatened at one time never to begin when the Frenchman was sent on loan back to his homeland deemed not yet ready to be thrown into the action. It was a decision which in hindsight has shown to be the right one for his progression and he has subsequently risen to become arguably the best in the league in his position.

Sporting director Edu will be under pressure to convince Saliba to stay with the club alongside Arteta should an approach come officially from the Spanish capital. There is certainly unfinished business with Arsenal as the club chase a Premier League and Champions League triumph.