La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid have been handed a major blow in pursuit of William Saliba, with Arsenal unwilling to sell the Frenchman.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Arsenal will not sanction William Saliba’s sale in the summer transfer window. The development comes as a major blow to Real Madrid, who had been showing keen interest in the French defender.
William Saliba joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in July 2019 amid a lot of hype created by French pundits and fans. But the 20-year-old is yet to get going at the Emirates, two and a half years since joining the Gunners. Instead, the youngster has been sent out on three different loan spells in his homeland.
The Frenchman is currently on a season-long stint with Marseille, where he has been incredibly impressive. Saliba has featured in all but two games for Les Phoceens, garnering 2,695 minutes of game-time across 30 appearances in all competitions. The Arsenal loanee’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with Real Madrid keenly scouting him this season.
The interest from Real Madrid is understandable, considering Carlo Ancelotti does not have a lot of quality at his disposal when it comes to central defensive options. Eder Militao and David Alaba have forged a strong partnership at the heart of the Real Madrid defence.
But Nacho is a backup option at best and does not flourish when being utilised regularly. The only other fallback central defensive option at Real Madrid is Jesus Vallejo, who has been unable to convince Ancelotti of his qualities and will likely be offloaded amid interest from several Spanish clubs.
Real Madrid might thus need to enter the transfer market for a centre-back in the summer transfer window, with Saliba a viable long-term target. But the Merengues could have to turn their attention elsewhere because Arsenal are unlikely to sanction the 20-year-old’s sale.
Mikel Arteta has been impressed by the Frenchman’s performances for Marseille and wants to incorporate the youngster into his squad next season. Arsenal’s stance on selling Saliba will also come as a blow for other suitors apart from Real Madrid, as AC Milan, Inter Milan, and West Ham United had also been linked with the Arsenal loanee.