Real Madrid dealt blow as priority transfer target not keen on exit from current club until after the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Reports

Real Madrid have suffered a blow as William Saliba has decided to stay at Arsenal for the upcoming season. The Frenchman does not want to switch clubs a year before the FIFA World Cup, as he wants to be in the squad heading to the United States.

According to a report in SPORT, Saliba is happy at Arsenal and believes that staying with the club this season is the right choice. He does not think a transfer, even to Real Madrid, would benefit him as he will need to fight for his spot in the starting XI.

The Frenchman is the established starting defender at the Emirates, along with Gabriel Magalhães, giving him the chance to impress Didier Deschamps every week. Mikel Arteta has brought in Cristhian Mosquera, but the young defender is unlikely to displace Saliba from the starting XI soon.

Arsenal are pushing for Saliba to sign a new deal as he is in the final two years of his contract at the club. He has not agreed terms over a new deal, and negotiations continue between him and the club.

Los Blancos are keeping tabs as they look to bring in a fresh defender this summer. Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate is their other target, and the Reds star is in the final year of his contract.

---

Arsenal's William Saliba looks like a Real Madrid player, claimed Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher spoke about William Saliba earlier this year and claimed that William Saliba feels like a player destined to play for Real Madrid. He believes that the Frenchman is good enough to join Los Blancos and said on It’s Called Soccer (via GOAL):

"There is one player, and people will be thinking I’m trying to cause a problem for Arsenal here and I’m not. But I think when you’re at a club, and this happened to us at Liverpool, once you don’t win the league or the Champions League, other bigger clubs start thinking, 'okay, we can take their player'." "So for us at Liverpool it was [Xabi] Alonso, [Javier] Mascherano and [Fernando] Torres and then that team that had been built by Rafa Benitez – players were just leaving left, right and centre. I do look at Saliba and to me he looks like a Real Madrid player. I can imagine him in a Real Madrid kit."

Xabi Alonso's side have signed Dean Huijsen this summer, but have not agreed terms with Antonio Rudiger over a new deal. They are also looking to bring in a long-term replacement for David Alaba.

Edited by Prem Deshpande