Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, who could leave the north London without playing a professional minute for the club.
According to CalcioMercato, the La Liga giants, as well as AC Milan and Inter Milan, are fans of the 20-year-old defender, who this season has been in excellent form with Ligue 1 club Olympique Marseille.
As per the report, Saliba is likely to remain with Arsenal next season, however, if Madrid were to increase their interest, technical director Edu Gaspar could be tempted to sell the defender for €30m (£25m).
With BBC Sport reporting that the Gunners signed Saliba in 2019 for £27m, it would be a strange decision to sell the young Frenchman this summer for less than what Arsenal originally paid for him.
However, with this being the club that have only made a profit in recent years on academy players Joe Willock and Emi Martinez, it isn’t too unrealistic to suggest that Saliba could head to Madrid on a cheap fee.
With Gabriel and Ben White making the centre-back position their own this season, the return of Saliba could see the former Saint-Etienne star take a place on the bench as a backup option to the defenders.
Arsenal should keep Saliba, but Madrid interest could be enticing
The future of Saliba seemingly looks set to be in north London for next season, yet interest in Madrid could be an exciting opportunity for the French defender, especially with first-team football at Arsenal not a guarantee.
Indeed, the Gunners are yet to give the centre-back a single minute of senior football at the club since arriving almost three years ago. And for Saliba, he knows he has the quality and the potential to be a star elsewhere at one of Europe’s biggest clubs, like Madrid, who could hand him opportunities, which Arsenal could struggle to provide.
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