William Saliba fails to rule out Real Madrid transfer question with Arsenal fan meeting

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Arsenal will forever be thankful to Unai Emery for signing William Saliba during his reign at the Emirates.

Back in 2019, Arsenal unveiled Saliba as a Gunner, sending the 18-year-old defender immediately back to Saint-Etienne on loan. 

It wasn’t until 2022 that the centre-back emerged as a serious talent in North London, as several loan ventures in France were required before Mikel Arteta considered the Frenchman.

Now, Arsenal can’t imagine life without Saliba, who is half of the Gunners’ favoured central defensive partnership, flourishing alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

• READ MORE: Diogo Jota says it’s so hard to play against William Saliba because he’s both ‘smart and powerful’

William Saliba quizzed on Real Madrid transfer links

The Arsenal squad are currently in Dubai engaging in hot-weather training mid-way through the 2024/25 campaign.

There’s hope that the time in the Middle East will assist Arteta’s players in rediscovering their best form however, there’s another narrative now emerging from the training camp.

Saliba has been linked to Real Madrid, who are big admirers of the France international’s growth at Arsenal, which the 23-year-old was quizzed on whilst in Dubai.

A video emerged on X of a fan mentioning Real Madrid to Saliba, and Arsenal supporters won’t be best pleased with the defender’s reaction.

The video was captioned, “Emirati Arsenal fan asks William Saliba to win and achieve the Champions League,” with the brief interaction unfolding as follows.

“Real Madrid, yes?” A fan asked Saliba, to which the Frenchman merely smirked.

An Arsenal supporter then said, “Saliba, Champions League, please!”, prompting the Premier League star to say, “Mashallah,” relaying his hopes to win the prize.

The Arsenal fan then pleaded, “Never go to Real Madrid,” and once again, Saliba simply smirked and failed to respond to the transfer probes.

With outstanding form comes unthinkable transfer links as the understanding that Real Madrid are prioritising Saliba continues to emerge.

Arsenal’s most-expensive departures – where William Saliba could rank 

What’s concerning for Arsenal is that Real Madrid have already made contact with Saliba’s representatives, causing fear to set in ahead of the summer transfer window.

Undoubtedly, a record-breaking fee would be required to lure the Frenchman away from the Emirates, which going by the Gunners’ standards, is not a lot. 

Arsenal’s list of record departures makes for sore reading, as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain still tops the chart as the most expensive sale in club history.

The Englishman’s £35m move to Liverpool represents a mere fraction of the price Real Madrid would have to cough up to acquire Saliba, who will not bid farewell to North London easily.