William Saliba keen on leaving Arsenal after he holds talks over world-record transfer: Reports

Arsenal defender William Saliba is reportedly keen on leaving the club to join Real Madrid. He's also held talks with the Spanish giants and could leave in the summer.

Saliba has been excellent for the Gunners since coming into the team in 2022. He joined the club from Saint-Etienne in 2019 but spent three years on loan at Saint-Etienne, OGC Nice, and Olympique Marseille. He's helped Arsenal keep 37 clean sheets in 87 Premier League games, helping them challenge for the title.

Saliba's performances have garnered interest from multiple top clubs in Europe, with Real Madrid being at the forefront. Los Blancos are dealing with a major injury crisis in defense and Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal have been ruled out of this season. David Alaba only recently returned after an ACL injury but is injured again.

Moreover, Antonio Rudiger will turn 32 in March this year. Hence, the Spanish giants are looking for a long-term replacement. As per Sky Sports (via Caught Offside), they are looking to sign Saliba in the summer. They have already held talks with the Frenchman and are also open to offering a world-record fee for a defender to sign him.

Saliba is also open to a potential move. It will give him an opportunity to join a strong French contingent at Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga, among others.

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Ian Wright warned Arsenal about 3 key players leaving amidst William Saliba's links to Real Madrid

Arsenal legend Ian Wright urged the club to make big moves in the transfer market last month. He said that if they don't, key players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes, and William Saliba could look to leave in search of trophies.

Wright said (via Metro):

"We have to start thinking about about Gabriel [Magalhaes], [William] Saliba and Saka. After this season, they’ve got two years left. Even if Arsenal say to you, 'listen we want to start talking to you', with a World Cup coming, managers and agents are going to say, 'we just want to focus on our game now, trying to make sure we’re in great form for the World Cup'."

"Those guys are going to be into the last year. We’re going to have a situation like Liverpool have got now. How long before their management teams say, 'we need to see the ambition of this club'? Do any of those players want to end up not winning anything because the way it’s going at the moment…"

Arsenal haven't won a major trophy since their FA Cup win in 2020. While Saliba has garnered plenty of interest from Real Madrid, Saka and Gabriel could also potentially consider their future if the situation remains the same.