Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to sign William Saliba from Arsenal and has made the defender his ‘dream signing’.
Saliba has emerged as one of Europe’s best central defenders at Arsenal. The France international was named in The Best FIFA Men’s 11 for 2024 and has earned back-to-back inclusions in the Premier League’s Team of the Season.
The perfect knee slide?
©️ William Salibapic.twitter.com/HsZ1ugvzNc
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 5, 2024
Spanish outlet Fichajes have revealed that Perez is desperate to bring Saliba to the Bernabeu. He views the 23-year-old as a ‘dream signing’ for Los Blancos and as a long-term replacement for Antonio Rudiger.
Real Madrid are pushing ahead with plans to overhaul their defence and have reportedly made contact with Saliba’s representatives.
The European champions have also seen an approach for Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold this month rejected.
However, Alexander-Arnold is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the La Liga giants, with his Liverpool deal to expire in the summer. Carlo Ancelotti’s side had hoped to agree a January transfer for a cut-price fee but saw an opening proposal rejected by Liverpool.
Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies is also a player of interest. Like Alexander-Arnold, Davies’s deal expires in six months time. The Canada international has held talks with Bayern over an extension but no agreement has been reached.
Several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, are also interested in signing the left-back as a free agent.
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