William Saliba transfer ‘interest’ emerges as Arsenal get £100m blockbuster deal update
Arsenal will be hoping to take advantage of several transfer opportunities in the coming years, while preventing other clubs from poaching star assets. The Gunners have made great strides towards becoming one of the best teams in Europe through smart recruitment but, with that, comes the threat of other top clubs taking an interest.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard have come on leaps and bounds since getting into the senior team. Though Arsenal are now competing for trophies, they are yet to win the major titles under Mikel Arteta and, with that, there will always be concern that other clubs will see it as an opportunity to take their best players if they can ‘promise’ them a better pathway to silverware.
The aforementioned trio have all recently signed new contracts to stay at the club, but that does not necessarily mean they are completely against leaving. Realistically, though, only the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and potentially Manchester City would have the capacity to sign a top Arsenal star.
Saliba is one name being heavily mooted across Europe – with the 23-year-old in the conversation as being the best central defender in the world. However, the Gunners will also be able to sign players from those four clubs with Jamal Musiala as one name already emerging of interest.
So, with all that being said, football.london has rounded up the latest Arsenal transfer news and rumours, while also providing our inside take on those whispers currently doing the rounds;
Saliba exit latest
Arsenal could be facing the prospect of Real Madrid and PSG taking an interest in signing William Saliba. Interest from France is prominent in both Saliba and centre-back partner Gabriel with Los Blancos set to target either the former or Tottenham star Cristian Romero – according to The Independent.
Given his Marseille links, Saliba arriving at PSG may not be too well received, though a high-profile switch to the Spanish capital is certainly plausible.
football.london says: “Arsenal losing Saliba would be catastrophic to their hopes of prolonged success. His contract does not expire until 2027 and though he seemingly has plenty of years ahead of him, there is one clear thing missing.
“If Arsenal cannot begin winning the big trophies, such as the Premier League or Champions League, it is entirely possible Saliba looks to move elsewhere. With Madrid having just done the double, a switch to Spain in the future would be fitting of his abilities.
“One thing that is worth noting though is that he clearly trusts Arteta and is very happy in the present at Emirates Stadium. However, if interest from Madrid arrives in two years time and Arsenal are still yet to win the big one, it could be a very different story.”
Musiala update
It’s beginning to seem possible that Jamal Musiala could leave Bayern Munich in the not so distant future. Over the summer, the 21-year-old who’s valued at £100million by the German giants, was linked to Real Madrid and Liverpool with Arsenal then also emerging as an interested party after the summer window had closed.
With his contract expiring in the summer of 2026, a number of sides are keen to potentially secure his services in a cut-price deal of sorts. Talks over an extension are not quite progressing how Bayern would want, while The Mirror now claiming they are having some difficulty in convincing him to continue his stint at Allianz Arena.
“It would be one hell of a statement signing if he can be convinced by Arteta and Edu that joining Arsenal is the right step as opposed to joining Man City or Madrid.
“Given how the Gunners operated in the most recent trading period, that would require a significant financial restructure but that is absolutely what it takes to sign the best young players in the world as they would have discovered in the Declan Rice saga.”
