William Saliba, the 24-year-old French centre-back, has been the backbone of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal since the time he joined the club in the year 2019 from Saint-Etienne. He has cemented his place in the starting lineup for Arsenal due to his composed defending and ability to identify crunch attacks and prevent them from building.
Many top European clubs have been eyeing on a move for the French international for a long period of time. The team which topped the chart and emerged as the favourites to buy Saliba in 2026 were the 15-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid. However, to their disbelief, according to latest developments, the Gunners have reportedly managed to get him to agree to extend the contract for three years which will
see him remain there until the year 2030. He has been a crucial part of Mikel Arteta’s rebuild for the Arsenal squad and will continue to remain so.
Real Madrid out of the race for signing William Saliba as Arsenal extend contract: Reports
The French international’s current contract at Arsenal was set to expire in June 2027 but the North London club have paved the way to seal the deal for a few more years. This extension has completely ruled out Real Madrid from signing the 24-year-old amid the uncertain future of their current centre-backs David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger at the club. Saliba feels that at this stage of his career, Arsenal is the right club for him to move ahead in his career under the guidance of Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal, who arguably have the strongest squad depth in Europe are aiming to achieve everything after a fantastic start to the campaign having achieved 10 points in their first five matches of the PL. Arsenal will be hopeful that Saliba manages to stay fit throughout the season as he is a very valuable player for the team. Saliba, who is reportedly the sixth highest earning player currently with a reported salary of £190,000 a week, is expected to receive a major hike in wages following the signing of the new contract.
