Arsenal react to Real Madrid's 'plant the seed' William Saliba transfer tactics as new sporting director Andrea Berta ramps up contract talks to avoid disastrous Kylian Mbappe scenario

Earlier this week, a report from L'Equipe revealed that Real Madrid have already started planning for a Saliba scoop for weeks, with the Frenchman seen as the perfect defensive leader for the future. However, a new report from the same publication now indicates that Arsenal want to be ten steps ahead of the Spanish heavyweights. As such, new Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has already initiated discussions with Saliba over a renewal, in order to avoid a similar Kylian Mbappe situation.

Madrid have experienced a miserable season in which they lost the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona and crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals. They do remain in the hunt to retain their LaLiga title, but it has overall been a woeful season for Los Blancos. What has compounded their misery is the defensive injury crisis they have had to experience, with key first-team defenders Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao suffering long-term ACL injuries.

The Madrid hierarchy believe that the squad's backline needs world-class reinforcements, given that several players such as Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba find themselves on the wrong side of 30. One such reinforcement is Saliba, who Madrid believe to be one of the best players in his position, and a player who can provide stability in the defence for the next decade.

Berta suspects Real Madrid are trying to "plant the seed" in Saliba's mind, aiming to either lower his transfer fee and then go for him in 2026, or sign him for free in 2027 when his contract expires. To counter this, Berta began contract extension talks with the centre-back weeks ago, with discussions intensifying recently to secure his future at the club.

The French defender will be seen in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against PSG on Wednesday, May 7, at Parc des Princes. This weekend, he'll return to the Premier League, when the Gunners take on champions-elect Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, May 11.