Real Madrid are clear that a new central defender will need to be signed in the coming years, and a top-level player is wanted. One of their leading targets for the position is Arsenal’s William Saliba, who is widely considered to be one of the best centre-backs in world football.
Central defence has been an area of concern for Real Madrid over the last couple of seasons, mainly because of injury problems to Eder Militao and David Alaba. On top of this, the latter and Antonio Rudiger are both coming towards the final years of their respective careers, so they will need to be replaced.
Real Madrid had planned to enter the market this summer, but the emergence of Raul Asencio has meant that signing a new central defender is no longer a priority for 2025. However, it is a position that will still need to be addressed relatively soon, and Saliba is high on the shortlist that has been established by the club’s sporting department.
Despite the fact that Saliba has re-iterated his commitment to Arsenal in recent weeks, Relevo say that Real Madrid will make a “concrete attempt” to sign the France international, although the date for their pursuit has not been revealed.
Signing Saliba will be far from straightforward for Arsenal, as Arsenal consider him to be one of their non-transferable players. A big offer would be needed just for the Premier League side’s consideration, although Real Madrid have shown that they are prepared to spend big in order to sign the right player, as they did with Jude Bellingham back in 2023.
There is no doubt that Saliba would be an excellent signing for Real Madrid, and it will be very interesting to see if/when they make their move. Arsenal will need to be on alert, that is for sure.
