Arsenal offer William Saliba five-year deal amid Real Madrid transfer interest

Arsenal have offered William Saliba a new five-year contract amid transfer interest from Spanish club Real Madrid, according to reports.

Real Madrid have admired Saliba for a long time and were keeping tabs on him when he was still at Saint-Etienne before his Arsenal breakthrough.

Saliba’s current Arsenal deal expires in 2027 and Real Madrid are said to ‘have kept a positive relationship’ with the French defender’s entourage.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attempted to play down the rumours in May, insisting that the 24-year-old centre-back is ‘very happy’ at the Emirates.

However, it’s thought that Real Madrid are preparing a move for 2026 when Saliba has 12 months left on his contract – and if that fails – they will try to snap him up as a free agent the following year.

In order to stop that from happening and keep him at the Emirates, Arsenal have offered Saliba a fresh five-year deal, Foot Mercato have reported.

The outlet adds that ‘discussions are ongoing’ and that Arsenal are hoping for ‘a positive response’ – but no decision has been made just yet.

Real Madrid are still very much monitoring the situation, hoping to bring Saliba to the Bernabeu some time in the next two years.

Losing Saliba would be a devastating blow for Arsenal, given he is widely considered to be one of the best centre-backs on the planet right now.

Saliba has played a total of 137 games for Arsenal to date and has been vital to their Premier League title challenges across the last three seasons.

Arsenal Invincible Gilberto Silva has urged Saliba to snub a move to Real Madrid and stay in north London.

‘There are examples of several other [players] who were at Arsenal in the past during good times, both for the club and individually, who made an expensive change and weren’t as successful,’ Silva said when quizzed about Real Madrid’s interest in Saliba.

‘Arsenal has a philosophy [and] a very special culture, and people may not understand the greatness of this club.

‘If they understood the greatness of the club and didn’t let themselves be carried away by the ego that is inflated when faced with a big offer from a club like Real Madrid, they could build a history at the club.

‘Anyone who wants to take a different step in their career should do so, but with the certainty that they will have to build a history all over again.’

Saliba has won two Community Shield titles at Arsenal, with the Gunners also finishing as Premier League runners-up in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

He has been named in the Professional Footballers’ Association Premier League Team of the Year for the last three seasons in a row.

Some outlets claimed that Arsenal slapped an asking price of £100m on Saliba to stop Real Madrid from making a bid in the last summer window.