The message that William Saliba has sent to Real Madrid after agreeing to sign a new contract with Arsenal has been revealed in the Spanish media, with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta disclosing what the defender told him.
Saliba has long been on the radar of Real Madrid, with trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting back in May that the Arsenal defender is Los Blancos’ ‘dream target’. Although the chatter in recent weeks has been Madrid’s interest in Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate, the Spanish and European giants have always maintained an interest in Saliba.
However, Madrid’s chances of signing Saliba in the immediate future have been put to flight, with the defender agreeing on a five-year contract with Arsenal.
Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, that Saliba will become Arsenal’s highest earner at £300,000 per week.
Defensa Central has now brought Real Madrid’s reaction to the news about Saliba, claiming that it is ‘the biggest surprise’ that Los Blancos have ‘received’ in the middle of the preparation ahead of the match against Atletico Madrid in LaLiga this weekend.
Even though the English media has been reporting the news only this week, Real Madrid knew about Saliba’s decision five days ago.
‘Saliba’s agent called Real Madrid 5 days ago and announced the signing’, claims the headline in the report published at 8:36pm on September 25, revealing the ‘message’ that the Arsenal defender himself has sent to Los Blancos president Florentino Perez.
The defender is ‘grateful that the best club in the world considered him a top-level reinforcement for their squad’ and was ‘willing to take the risk of waiting for him to sign him as a free agent’.
The France international central defender’s original deal was due to run out in the summer of 2027.
Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe ‘tried to convince’ his France international team-mate Saliba to move to the Santiago Bernabeu, but the 24-year-old has decided to continue his career at Arsenal.
The report on the Real Madrid-centric website has added that Saliba’s agent maintained ‘contact’ with the Spanish club’s board.
After learning of Madrid’s interest in him, Saliba ‘briefly discussed the matter’ before deciding to stay at Arsenal.
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Mikel Arteta reveals William Saliba chat about Real Madrid
As Arsenal fans celebrate Saliba agreeing to a new contract, manager Arteta has revealed what the defender told him when he asked him directly about interest from Real Madrid.
The London Evening Standard quotes Arteta as saying about Saliba: “I was quite all right with him, because when you hear that noise, and you can understand certain expectations, and how at the end players have feelings, players have been educated as well in their families, maybe dreaming about something one day and that’s a really natural thing to have.
“[But] when I sat down with William and I asked him the question, he said: ‘No, I want to stay here, I want to play for you and I’m very happy’, in his own way, so that’s great to hear.
“I didn’t want to be specific [about what clubs wanted to sign him], but it was obvious the amount of noise that it was around certain clubs.
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While Arsenal fans are celebrating Saliba’s new contract, the Emirates Stadium faithful will be delighted to learn that a Liverpool defender could be on his way to the Gunners.
Arsenal are among the clubs that have taken a shine to a Liverpool star, who is out of contract at the defending Premier League champions at the end of the season.
Saliba is not the only Arsenal star who is ready to commit his long-term future to the Gunners, with another world-class ace more than happy to extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, the name of the Premier League forward that Arsenal are keen on signing.
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