How much Arsenal would be willing to sell William Saliba for next summer

William Saliba is incredibly good at what he does, and there isn't a team in world football he doesn't walk into. Saliba's brilliance means it's only natural that interest from Europe's elite would eventually manifest.

There were once fears that the French defender had no future at Arsenal. After the Gunners signed the highly-regarded teenage defender for £27m under the regime of Unai Emery in 2019, Saliba spent the next three seasons out on loan in Ligue 1.

Gooners were forced to be patient with Saliba eventually making his debut at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, but the imposing young defender was certainly worth the wait. His injury during the backend of the aforementioned season ultimately derailed the club's title quest, and he was an ever-present during Arsenal's title tilt last term.

In short, there is perhaps no more significant figure to this Gunners outfit than Saliba. A Rolls-Royce defender who transformed Arsenal's ability to build up play, physically overwhelm opponents, and play higher up the pitch has no price tag.

Saliba's utterly priceless, but the continent's aristocracy are beginning to circle.

3 European giants 'tracking' William Saliba ahead of next summer transfer

Saliba is one of the world's best centre-backs and an argument could be made for the Frenchman being at the top of the tree. If he was part of an Arsenal side fighting for top-four berths or struggling at the start of Mikel Arteta's reign, there would be genuine concerns over Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain's reported interest.

CaughtOffside write that these three clubs are tracking the 23-year-old ahead of a potential transfer next summer.

Saliba, however, is a protagonist in a remarkably exciting project with justifiably lofty ambitions. There's a Premier League title for Arsenal to win in the very near future, and further memories to be made on European nights. Having extended his contract in 2023 and the player more than content in north London, the Gunners have little reason to fear apparent overseas interest at this stage.

The above report states that only a fee in excess of £100m - a world-record fee for a defender - would draw Arsenal to the negotiating table.

Real Madrid could be in William Saliba's future

As I noted, for now, we don't have any cause for concern. Such interest has to be expected given Saliba's meteoric rise and current status in the game. He's a defender capable of returning Bayern Munich to the continent's summit, getting PSG over the hump, or replacing Antonio Rudiger in Madrid. He may well be tempted by a return to his hometown or the allure of the Spanish capital, but his situation in north London is pretty sweet, too.

We'd be woefully ignorant to overlook a potential transfer to Real Madrid further down the line, though. That's where the world's best end up, and Saliba is, well, exactly that. The Emirates may be special with a potentially prosperous project continuing to brew and evolve, but it really is a different knock when the perennial Champions League victors come calling.

Let's hope they go for Cristian Romero, eh?

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