Arsenal star William Saliba appears to have responded emphatically to the Real Madrid transfer rumours circling him. The Spanish giants have been closely monitoring Saliba following his emergence at Emirates Stadium with it possible they make a formal approach to sign him as early as next summer.
Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, Saliba has become part of arguably the best centre-back partnership of the last few years. [Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Ben White are just a few others integral to Mikel Arteta with it clear the Gunners have done everything they can to keep hold of their best players.](https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/full-list-arsenal-first-team-29882426)
Tying them down to bumper contracts that expire in the late stages of the current decade has therefore been a priority with those three names, alongside Gabriel and Saliba, agreeing new deals in the last 18 months. Despite that, talk of Saliba joining Madrid has remained.
Back in the summer of 2023, Saliba penned a four-year contract but even that has not resulted in interest dwindling. Playing for Madrid is likely the pinnacle for most footballers, however it appears that Saliba is currently very happy in north London.
Alongside Jakub Kiwior for the Premier League clash at home to United, [Saliba delivered a dominating display at the back and capped it off by scoring his first goal of the season.](https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/fixtures-results/arsenal-player-ratings-vs-manchester-30516983) A deep corner from Bukayo Saka was headed back across goal by Thomas Partey with the ball trickling into the net off the back of Saliba.
With the Gunners getting some breathing room as a result of that goal, after Jurrien Timber scored the opener from a set-piece, Saliba wheeled away gleefully and pulled out quite the celebration. Moments after knee sliding into the corner, the 23-year-old aggressively thumped the badge on his chest before leaping into the crowd.
From just that, it seems quite clear that Saliba has every intention of staying at Arsenal at least in the short-term. Reports have also suggested that talks have been opened over a new bumper contract for Saliba and it is very possible those conversations advance following his not so subtle message.