Real Madrid ended 2024 with a 4-2 win over Sevilla and is in 2nd place in the La Liga table, just behind its derby rival – Atletico. Carlo Ancelotti's team will return to action on January 3, when they host Valencia. The lack of meetings during the Christmas and New Year break does not mean that Real Madrid is quiet. Especially since the winter transfer window has started.
Will Real go on the hunt? This is their priority
Madrid would certainly like to repeat the achievements of the previous season, in which they won the national championship and the Champions League. In 2025, famous players may join the club from the Spanish capital. There has been speculation about strengthening the defense line for a long time. Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich and Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool have been linked with Real. Now, according to the Catalan “Sport”, another name has entered the game.
“William Saliba passed all the filters at Real Madrid to be a priority target,” writes the daily, mentioning Arsenal's central defender as a dream reinforcement for this formation. The source adds that the Londoners have no intention of getting rid of the defensive leader lightly. They recently rejected the attempts of Paris Saint-Germain, which offered EUR 95 million for the Frenchman. The market price of the player is 80 million.
However, this does not have to be an obstacle to a potential agreement. “Real Madrid examined the player's surroundings and, as they found out, Sport received a positive reaction,” we read. Madrid would submit an offer of up to nine figures and exceed EUR 100 million. This would be an absolute record in the history of defender transfers.
Catalan “Sport” makes it clear that Real has an argument that could convince Saliba. This is his compatriot Kylian Mbappe. Of course, both of them know each other from the national team, but it turns out that they already had contact with each other as young players. Saliba took his first steps in football under the supervision of the star's father – Wilfrid Mbappe.
Read: It's happening! Real's hit transfer. “90 percent”
“He was my coach for almost two years. He taught me everything and it is thanks to him that I am where I am today” – this is what Saliba himself said about Kylian's father for “Le Populaire”. Time will tell if he will join his son at Real Madrid soon.
William Saliba is a 26-time representative of France, vice-champion of the world in 2022. He has played 108 matches for Arsenal so far, scoring seven goals. During the current season, he played in 25 matches in all competitions. He scored two goals.