Arsenal on red alert as Real Madrid told to make transfer move for Saliba

Former Real Madrid defender Rafael Alkorta has urged the club to sign Arsenal's William Saliba.

France international Saliba has developed into a key player for Arsenal, helping them secure consecutive second-place finishes under Mikel Arteta. He signed a new contract with the club in 2023, lasting until the summer of 2027.

Madrid had a quiet summer in 2024, at least as far as transfer fees were concerned. However, they handed Kylian Mbappe a big-money deal after the Frenchman arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Spanish giants have been linked with a summer move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract in June. Alexander-Arnold would act as Dani Carvajal's successor for the longer term, but Alkorta believes that the club should also strengthen its central defender position.

“There is a weakness at centre-back and full-back because of so many injuries, but you can already say that [youngster Raul] Asencio has removed a problem because his performance is very high,” Alkorta told AS. 'Maybe it could work with him and another academy centre-back plus Rudiger and Alaba, if he comes back soon.

Madrid have suffered a series of injuries, forcing them to throw Asencio into the mix. David Alaba and Eder Militao have joined Carvajal on the long-term injury list, and Alkorta mentioned Saliba when asked who he would like to sign to ease his old club's woes.

“I like Saliba from Arsenal,” he added. “Without financial constraints I would definitely sign him. He is a really interesting player. Of the young central defenders in Europe I would say he is at least in the top three.”

Saliba was ever-present at Arsenal last season but his run of Premier League appearances was curtailed after a red card at Bournemouth earned him a one-match suspension. The match on the south coast was one of two defeats for Mikel Arteta's side in the league this season, but the centre-back spoke about their revival ahead of Saturday's victory over West Ham.

“Yes, we can feel it,” Saliba said after the Gunners beat Nottingham Forest in the league and Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. “The coach always told us to believe in ourselves because we are a very good team.

“We've had some bad times, but we believe the good times are coming. We stick together and keep going. It's much better. I think we had two or three weeks before the international break where it was really tough. But now we have played two very good games.”