Whispers that Arsenal could be involved in world-record transfer deal | OneFootball

Arsenal would reportedly demand a world-record transfer fee for a defender if they were to sell William Saliba, who is a target for Real Madrid.

It is not anticipated that the Gunners would actually let Saliba go, but it seems the France international is one of the ambitious names being eyed up by Madrid, according to RMC Sport.

Los Blancos have a proud history of ‘Galactico’ signings, as they often splash the cash on some of the very finest players in the world.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are some recent examples, while in the past they also signed legendary figures such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Luis Figo.

RMC Sport claim Saliba is one high-profile name on their list now, but the report plays down their chances of persuading Arsenal to agree to a sale, with perhaps only crazy money likely to give them any chance of luring the 23-year-old to the Bernabeu.

William Saliba is too important for Arsenal to sell

William Saliba in action for Arsenal against Man City (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Saliba has been a rock for Arsenal since coming into their first-team in the 2022/23 season, and it’s hard to imagine a world in which they decide he’s someone they can afford to let go.

Even if they did receive a record-breaking bid for Saliba, there seems little sense in accepting it as it’s not clear how they could invest that money and truly come away with an adequate replacement.

Still, this might be an interesting story to follow as Saliba himself might one day harbour ambitions of playing elsewhere.

At the moment, Arsenal look like a team on the up, but they’re yet to win a major trophy despite being involved in the title race in the last two years.

Real Madrid always win the biggest prizes, so Saliba might one day view them as a tempting option if Arsenal continue to under-achieve.