Arsenal will have a battle on their hands to keep hold of William Saliba at the end of the season, according to reports in France.

RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins, who is usually very reliable when it comes to transfers, claims that Real Madrid are targeting the defender.

The Spanish giants have had issues keeping centre-backs fit and it is believed they have identified Saliba as their main option to reinforce their numbers at the back.

Hawkins does emphasise that Real will have a very tough time securing the player’s signature, and he even suggests that the 23-year-old could end up being the “most expensive defender in history.”

Real may have the funds to raid Arsenal if they sell a key player

Arsenal are clearly not keen on selling Saliba and the fact that the center-half’s contract expires in 2027 means they are under no pressure to offload him either.

However, Real could soon have a sizeable transfer kitty at their disposal. Hawkins says Saudi Arabian clubs are circling Vinicius Jr and there is potential for one of them to break the world record to sign the Brazilian.

If that were to happen, there would be nothing stopping Real from tabling an eyewatering bid for Saliba.

Who is currently the most expensive defender?

Manchester City paid €90m (£77m) to secure the services of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig at the start of last campaign.

You would think that Real would have to pay a figure substantially above that amount for the Gunners to even consider letting one of their best players leave. There would be a significant portion of the fanbase who would say that Saliba is not for sale at any price.

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