William Saliba: 'Real Madrid interest is always tempting'

Cameron Smith

3 Nov 2025 10:46 GMT
4 min read

Arsenal defender William Saliba has admitted that interest from Real Madrid is “always tempting” following his decision to sign a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Article continues under the video

The 24-year-old has been tipped to complete a blockbuster move to the Spanish giants for several seasons and he remains a priority transfer target for Los Blancos, despite his recent contract extension.

Current ETV

William Saliba

D (C)

Arsenal

William Saliba

D (C)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€57.9M - €96.5M

Saliba penned fresh terms at Arsenal in September and his lucrative new deal now runs until 2030. However, he has confirmed that he was slightly tempted to ditch the Gunners in favour of linking up with France team-mate Kylian Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu.

During an interview with Telefoot, Saliba was asked about Real Madrid’s approach this summer and whether or not he was open to joining the club.

“Of course, it's always tempting when a club like that shows interest,” Saliba admitted. “But for me, I wanted to stay at Arsenal and win trophies before thinking about anything else.”

He subsequently brushed aside suggestions that he would reunite with former AS Bondy team-mate Mbappe at Real Madrid in 2026.

“No, no, no. The Bondy connection is in the French national team for the moment,” he confirmed.

Real Madrid eye William Saliba alternatives

With a move for Saliba extremely unlikely to take place next summer, Real Madrid appear to have turned their attention to fellow Premier League stars Ibrahima Konate and Marc Guehi.

Both players are currently set to become free agents in 2026 and they have been widely touted to secure Bosman exits next year after deciding against extending their respective contracts at Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

Konate has been earmarked as a key target by the Real Madrid hierarchy, following Saliba’s decision to sign a new Arsenal contract, while the Spanish giants have also joined Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign Guehi.

Football transfer news headlines today

TRANSFER RUMOURS: Chelsea receive Rogers boost as Amorim picks new Man Utd striker

Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Man Utd PLANS, Guehi GUARANTEE, Caicedo to JOIN Real Madrid?

€115m forward issues official response to Arsenal interest

Chelsea in dreamland after avoiding 'new Antony'

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store