Real Madrid have reached an ‘agreement’ with Arsenal over the transfer of star centre-back William Saliba after Florentino Perez held talks with Gunners representatives on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid president was enduring his side’s limp exit at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League and a rare error from Saliba apparently failed to dissuade him from pushing for the Frenchman’s signing.
It’s been claimed that Los Blancos have made Saliba their top target this summer, with a report from Spanish outlet Defensa Central ahead of the second leg at the Bernabeu claiming the Gunners were ‘willing to finalise a swap deal with Real Madrid for Saliba’ if the La Liga side ‘include two players in the deal’.
The report stated:
‘Arsenal want to keep Saliba, but if the player refuses to renew and puts the club between a rock and a hard place, knowing of Real Madrid’s interest, the English club would be open to negotiating for the French centre-back, whom they value at 100 million euros.
‘That would, of course, only happen provided Real Madrid with Arda Güler and Endrick in the mix… something that’s not going to happen, as Florentino Perez doesn’t want to let go of either of them.
‘Real Madrid continues to target William Saliba. The problem is Arsenal’s stance and his high market value. However, his contract runs until June 30, 2027, which means the club is considering the option of signing him as a free agent. It’s a risky move, as the player has several suitors, but they believe it’s the best option.’
And after talks this week, Perez reached an ‘agreement’ with the Arsenal bosses that will ensure Madrid are given the right of first refusal if Arsenal decide to put Saliba up for sale at any point before his contract expires.
The report states:
‘In fact, Florentino Pérez took away from Arsenal the verbal commitment that if at any time they decide to put the French player for sale (he has a contract until 2027), for any reason, they will first notify the Santiago Bernabéu stadium of that decision and, at that moment, the merengue team will decide if he may be interested in the footballer or not.
‘This agreement with the gunners does not imply anything, really, but at least it is a way to have ‘controlled’ the player having the approval of his club, since William Saliba has always been followed by Juni Calafat, especially because he is one of the great defenders of world soccer and his age invites that his performance will go to more, so in Real Madrid they do not want to lose sight of him.’