Football
Report: Real Madrid Dream of g 24-Year-Old Premier League Star
Sushan Chakraborty has been writing professionally since debuting with 90min in 2017. He has since typed out thousands of articles, learning the trade from some of the smartest minds in the business. Now at Sportscasting, he is striving to whip up his best articles yet.
Get to know Sushan Chakraborty betterPublished29 Apr 2025
Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid have reportedly identified Arsenal star William Saliba as a priority target for the 2025-26 summer transfer window. Following an underwhelming campaign, the Whites are eager to bounce back stronger next season.
Despite having some of the finest attackers in world football, Real Madrid are inching towards a disappointing trophyless campaign. Los Blancos, who added Kylian Mbappe and Endrick to their ranks last summer, have exited the UEFA Champions League after a 5-1 aggregate defeat against Arsenal in the quarter-finals. They are trailing Barcelona by four points in LaLiga with only five games left to play. Their most recent setback came on Saturday, April 26, as they lost 3-2 to Barca in the Copa del Rey final.
According to reports, Carlo Ancelotti will Brazil in June, and Real Madrid will appoint a new head coach at the end of the campaign. From Xabi Alonso to Jurgen Klopp, many high-profile names are reportedly in the mix, but the Real Madrid hierarchy is reportedly not content with just a managerial change.
Real Madrid Dream of g 24-Year-Old Premier League Star William Saliba
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net, Real Madrid are in the market for a competent centre back and have identified Arsenal man Saliba as a subject of interest.
The international exudes maturity even at the age of 24, emerging as one of the first names on Mikel Arteta’s team sheet. Real Madrid believe his game-reading, composure, leadership skills, and ball-playing ability would strengthen the backline.
🚨 BREAKING: Florentino Perez has decided he will do ANYTHING to sign William Saliba THIS summer.
The player knows it, Real Madrid know it and Arsenal know it.
He is the chosen one. @RadioMARCA 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/P77X0G5v2g
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) April 29, 2025
Los Merengues, however, are well aware of the difficulty of the transfer, as Arsenal have no intention of letting him depart. To crack the deal, Real Madrid’s offer must not only meet Arsenal’s financial demands but also convince Saliba to jump ship at the height of his powers. Despite the obstacles, Madrid maintain a strong interest in Saliba and are likely to explore avenues to pull the deal off in the coming days.
Saliba ed Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019. After a couple of loan spells, he became a first-teamer in 2022 and has not looked back since. So far, he has played 129 games for the north London club in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing a couple of assists. His contract with Arteta’s side expires on June 30, 2027.