William Saliba to Real Madrid: Arsenal centre-back told he needs to 'earn' move to Los Blancos as Julio Baptista tells Frenchman to 'become a champion' with Gunners before leaving

Former attacking midfielder Baptista, who represented both Arsenal and Real Madrid, recently shared his thoughts on centre-back Saliba amid rumours linking the Frenchman with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. The Brazilian believes that while Saliba is one of the best defenders in the world, he must prove himself worthy of an offer from Madrid by being consistent and helping Arsenal win major trophies.

In an interview with footitalia.com, Baptista was asked if he thought Saliba would don the Madrid colours one day.

Baptista replied: "A lot has changed for players now. Before you get to a huge club like Real Madrid, you need to show more. It's not like five, ten games to show what you can do. You need to be one of the best players in the world season after season to earn the respect and the interest of a club like Real Madrid. I think for Saliba, there is no doubt that he is one of the world’s best CBs. He’s been a big part of Arsenal’s improvement over the years and has formed a formidable partnership alongside Gabriel, but I would like to see him lift a trophy with Arsenal before he leaves. If Saliba can keep showing that he has incredible quality, maybe we’ll see Real Madrid coming for him in the future, but he should only be thinking about winning trophies and becoming a champion with Arsenal at the moment."

It has been reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to make Saliba the next Galactico of his defence, which will require an overhaul in the near future. Two of the club's three centre-backs, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, are on the wrong side of 30, while Eder Miltao, who's still just 26, has suffered two ACL injuries in back-to-back seasons. Per reports, Los Blancos will not make an approach this summer, but are likely to submit a bid next year or wait for Saliba to run down his current contract, which expires in 2027, to then sign him for free.

The 24-year-old put in a great shift on Wednesday night as Arsenal defeated Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate. The Gunners return to action away at Ipswich Town on Sunday, April 20.