Report: Arsenal confident over big name and also want to sign £50m Premier League star | OneFootball

On top of that, it’s being claimed that the Gunners want to sign £50m-rated Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen to play alongside both Saliba and Gabriel, rather than replace either of them.

That’s according to the Athletic, who state that Real Madrid are keen on Saliba, but that Arsenal seem calm over the situation, with the France international not giving any signal that he wants to leave the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this evening, having beaten them 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final last week.

Saliba was superb in the first game between these teams and will have a key role to play in a big test tonight.

William Saliba looks very much like a Real Madrid signing

William Saliba in action for Arsenal vs Brentford (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Arsenal fans will no doubt fear this ongoing speculation, as Saliba looks like he’s more than good enough to go to a big club like Real Madrid and become a star player.

The 24-year-old has been world class during his time at the Emirates and the club won’t want to lose him.

The Athletic add that Huijsen is a £50m target for Arsenal, with the talented young Spain international intended to come in to play alongside both Saliba and Gabriel.

It’s hard to imagine, however, that Huijsen would play regularly for AFC while both Saliba and Gabriel are still around.

It would be a struggle for Mikel Arteta to fit Huijsen into his starting line up, so it remains to be seen how accurate this story is.

AFC sources might well be pushing a certain line to sound more confident in their position with Saliba, but ultimately there’s not much they can do if he decides not to sign a new contract.

And while losing him would be a blow, Huijsen also looks like he could be a superb replacement.