William Saliba is arguably Arsenal’s most prized asset and the prospect of him leaving the Emirates Stadium to sign for Real Madrid is one that Mikel Arteta would not even like to consider.
Real Madrid feel Saliba is comparable to Jude Bellingham when it comes to centre-backs across world football as the Frenchman is a player who they have set their sights on signing one day.
Saliba would Real Madrid’s dream signing and as they have shown by prising Trent Alexander-Arnold away from his boyhood club Liverpool, Los Blancos tend to sign whoever they lay their eyes on.
For Andrea Berta, all the talk surrounding the 24-year-old’s future must be a concern — especially considering he just has two years left on his contract.
William Saliba already has a case for being the best centre-half in the world and simply put, the Gunners cannot afford to lose a player who seems destined to go down as a legend of the game.
Andrea Berta knows Real Madrid are planting the seed to sign William Saliba
Andrea Berta will be aware that Saliba is one of Arsenal’s biggest assets and by joining Real Madrid, Arsenal could strengthen a potential European rival of theirs for years to come.
As a result, Berta has made Saliba’s contract extension his priority to fend off Real Madrid’s interest.
French outlet L’Equipe believes that as Saliba has been in talks with Real Madrid for several weeks, Andrea Berta believes the Spanish giants are trying to “plant the seed” in his mind about a potential move already.
The former Atletico Madrid sporting director is convinced that the Spanish giants have already engaged in talks to eventually persuade the former Saint-Etienne defender to move to Madrid and eventually sign him on either a free transfer in 2027 or for a cut-price fee next year.
However, since taking note of Real Madrid’s transfer tactics, Andrea Berta has stepped up his efforts to keep Saliba, who could earn £250k-a-week at Arsenal if he signs a new contract.
How William Saliba privately feels about Real Madrid move
Saliba is a boyhood Arsenal fan but ultimately, when Real Madrid come knocking, most players open the door to a transfer.
The relief for the Emirates faithful would be that the Bondy-born colossus has already made a few decisions about his future.
First things first, Saliba will not force an exit from Arsenal if Real Madrid amp up their intentions to sign him which also makes life easier for Andrea Berta in his attempts to keep him in North London.
But most important, Saliba is ready to extend his contract and continue his journey in N5 despite the interest from the Spanish capital.
As a result, Arsenal fans can feel relatively assured for the time being that their rock at the back could stay put and shift their focus on supporting the visitors at the Parc des Princes against PSG on Wednesday.
