Real Madrid have reportedly contacted William Saliba's representatives ahead of the summer transfer window, with a potential defensive rebuild set to take place 2025.
Arsenal beat North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Emirates on Wednesday evening and closed the gap on league-leaders Liverpool to four points.
Centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes stole headlines for his imperious performance against Spurs, but his partner Saliba was just as composed, and he once again demonstrated his understated importance in defence.
Saliba has featured in 26 of his side's 27 Premier League and Champions League games this campaign and has been key to Arsenal's defensive efforts, with the Gunners' record of 19 goals conceded in the top flight the best return in the division.
However, manager Mikel Arteta could face the risk of losing the Frenchman to Real Madrid in the summer, with Foot Mercato reporting that Los Blancos have contacted the centre-back's representatives.
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Why are Real Madrid targeting Saliba?
Saliba is perhaps seen as a candidate to replace the injured Eder Militao, who is out due to a cruciate ligament injury, as he will have just two years left on his Gunners deal at the end of the season.
Real Madrid have been known to act opportunistically in the transfer market, with Kylian Mbappe lured from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of 2023-24 upon the expiry of his contract.
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is widely seen as a potential replacement for the injured Dani Carvajal, and the right-back would cost the club nothing in terms of a transfer fee should he decide to move from Anfield to the Bernabeu.
While Arsenal have somewhat of a cushion given Saliba's contract does not run out until 2027, it would not be surprising to see rumours about the 23-year-old intensify the closer his deal gets to expiring.
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Is Arsenal's window closing?
Arsenal must do everything they can to keep Saliba at the club in order to maximise their opportunity to capitalise on their Premier League opponents' weaknesses, some of whom are rebuilding their sides.
Manchester City are in all likelihood out of the current title race and have been forced to spend heavily in the January window, while Chelsea's immense expenditure in recent years has only just started to pay off.
Liverpool have so far enjoyed a remarkable spell under Arne Slot, but they could lose Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold for free in the summer.
Arsenal are arguably best positioned to take advantage of their rivals' flaws, but it remains to be seen if they could do so without someone of Saliba's quality.
Perhaps the best way of convincing Saliba to reject any potential advances from Real would be for Arteta to help the squad make good on their promise and win the Premier League this season.
Lewis Nolan
