Renowned journalist Charles Watts has advised Arsenal to start putting in the groundwork for William Saliba’s contract interest, amid interest from Real Madrid and other European clubs. Saliba, who has been with the Gunners since July 2019, sees his current deal expire in June 2027.
One of the most sought-after defenders in the Premier League, Saliba, has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for many top European clubs. In a report, CaughtOffside claimed Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were great admirers of the Frenchman and were keeping a close eye on him.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have a proven track record in domestic competitions as well as Europe. PSG, meanwhile, is the biggest club in Saliba’s country, France. Signing for any of the three heavyweights would give Saliba a great shot at winning major silverware.
Charles Watts Urges Arsenal To Take A Proactive Approach To Deal With Real Madrid Interest
In his column for CaughtOffside, Watts stated Arsenal did not have reason to panic just yet, but could be in trouble if they did not get on top of things.
“William Saliba’s name is constantly being mentioned in the same breath as Real Madrid. That’s been the case for the past couple of years and it’s going to continue to be the case going forward,” said Watts.
“I don’t know how strong Madrid’s interest is in Saliba, but he’ll be on the radar, just as he will be for the other clubs that I’ve mentioned.”
He continued:
“But that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere soon. Arsenal worked very hard to secure Saliba to a new contract just 14 months ago and that deal still has three years left to run. So there is no need to panic and Saliba is very, very happy at Arsenal. If I was Edu though, I would already be putting in the groundwork when it comes to Saliba’s next contract. Because the pace of his rise towards the very top of the game demands that Arsenal have to keep up.”
Watts wrapped things up with a warning, saying:
“I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I don’t see Saliba being a one-club man. He’s not come through the ranks at Arsenal. He may have followed them as a boy in France, but he doesn’t have an undying loyalty towards them.
“You don’t want to get into a scenario where Saliba has just 18 months left on his contract, like he did last time. You want to make sure you are protected to avoid giving any interested clubs a stronger hand in terms of trying to prize him away.”
According to Capology, Saliba is one of the highest-paid players at Arsenal, bagging $248,725/week.
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