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Arsenal star William Saliba has a lot to think about this summer with Real Madrid vying for his future

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Arsenal defender William Saliba has a huge decision to make on his future this summer. He has been with the Gunners since leaving Saint-Etienne in 2019 and, still only 24 years old, has almost his whole career ahead of him. Yet he has quickly risen to become one of the top defenders in the Premier League, and that’s attracted top-level attention from Europe. It was revealed by L’Equipe earlier this summer that Saliba had been made Real Madrid’s priority target and “concrete” talks had taken place. A fee of £85m was mooted, and that doesn’t seem to have deterred Los Blancos, despite already splashing £50m on former Bournemouth man Dean Huijsen. However, Arsenal seem just as determined to keep Saliba in their backline and, according to French outlet le10sport, have tabled a “very substantial offer” to their centre-back to extend his time in north London. His current deal with the Gunners runs until 2027, meaning his value will likely begin to fall after this window as his contract runs down. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. The deal is reportedly big enough to confirm that Arsenal see Saliba – ranked at no. 2 in Four Four Two's list of the best centre-backs in the world right now – as their main man moving forward, reinforcing their desire to build their future around him. But the same outlet states that Saliba has not yet made up his mind, and is tempted by the opportunity to play for Los Blancos. In Four Four Two’s opinion, Saliba needs to think very carefully before gambling on the Madrid project under Xabi Alonso. As previously mentioned, they have only just signed Huijsen, who joins competition with the likes of Raul Asencio, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba for minutes in Alonso’s backline. At Arsenal, a huge club fighting at the summit of the game’s biggest competitions, he is already the main man; at Madrid, he will go back to fighting for his place on a weekly basis. Saliba is valued at €80m, according to Transfermarkt. Isaac Stacey Stronge is a freelance football writer working for Four Four Two, Manchester United and Football League World. He has been a season ticket holder at Stockport County throughout the Hatters’ meteoric rise from the National League North to League One and is a die-hard Paddy Madden fan. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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