Declan Rice reacts to William Saliba’s message after Arsenal transfer post
(Credit: Imago)
Declan Rice has reacted after Arsenal shared an update on William Saliba amid rumours that he could soon be set to leave the club to join Real Madrid.
Saliba has been a rock at the back for Arsenal for a number of years now, after joining the club from Saint Etienne back in 2019 then spending time out on loan at Nice and Marseille.
He has formed one of the best defensive partnerships in world football with Gabriel in recent seasons, yet the Gunners’ have still struggled to win trophies despite their impressive squad.
Football Insider revealed in May that Arsenal are concerned about Real Madrid’s interest in Saliba, and sources say that “alarm bells are ringing” at the North London club with his future uncertain.
The Gunners are prepared to do all they can to keep Saliba with contract talks underway, as revealed to Football Insider by former scout Mick Brown, but Los Blancos have long-term plans in place to attract the him to La Liga, and Arsenal have now shared a new message about the Frenchman.
Arsenal celebrate six years of Saliba at the club
He may soon depart with the pull of Real Madrid potentially too strong to resist, but it does seem unlikely that Saliba will make an imminent exit from the Emirates Stadium this summer.
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Arsenal moved to commemorate the 24-year-old’s six-year anniversary since he joined the club with an Instagram post on Friday (25 July), saying: “On this day in 2019…William Saliba joined The Arsenal,” alongside a number of pictures of him in action for the club over the years.
Their message was reacted to with a like from teammate Rice, while Riccardo Calafiori, Reiss Nelson and Saliba himself all also liked the post.
Arsenal must make Saliba’s contract a priority moving forward
Football Insider verdict
Saliba has been a regular at the back for Arteta over each of the last three seasons, and is now regarded as one of the best centre-backs in world football, so it comes as no surprise to see him earmarked for a big-money move to Madrid.
Arsenal have not yet won a trophy with him marshalling their defence, but there is a sense that they are building each year under their Spanish boss, and losing Saliba would be absolutely detrimental to any chances of picking up major silverware in the near future.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 134 | 7 | 2 |
Former scout Mick Brown recently revealed to Football Insider that the Gunners are planning to offer Saliba a new bumper contract soon, with Real Madrid’s interest having potentially cooled after they recently signed Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth.
They need to agree fresh terms with the France international soon, though, as he is now in the final two years of his deal, and so could go for a much smaller fee than initially envisaged if he was to leave next summer.
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