William Saliba would leave Arsenal if Real Madrid approached him over a transfer, Mikel Arteta has been told by Gunners and France legend William Gallas.

Saliba has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world since joining Arsenal from Saint-Etienne, with Arteta’s patience with the 25-year-old France star richly rewarded after a series of loan moves back to his homeland.

But the success of the central defender has attracted the attention of Real Madrid, who have long been linked with a move for him.

Although Arsenal have Saliba tied under contract until 2030 and would naturally fight any interest in the player, Gallas has warned the Gunners that an approach from Jose Mourinho’s side has the potential to unsettle the defender.

“Are Arsenal at a high enough level now that William Saliba would turn down Real Madrid if they came in for him?” Gallas told SeatPick.

“I know a lot of people will be mad about what I'm going to say right now but if we are talking about the history of both clubs, Real Madrid and Arsenal, then Real Madrid is Real Madrid. They are on a different level.

“The pressure is bigger there. The atmosphere around the club is different. Every game, the fans expect you to win. Every game, the fans expect you to have a great performance. Every season, the fans expect you to win La Liga or to win the Champions League, so it's a different level.

“For me, even if their performances at the moment are not the best, and even if they haven't won the biggest trophies recently, Madrid is Madrid, and I'm telling you, any player who has the opportunity to go to Madrid, they will try to go there, and you can't blame them. You couldn’t blame a player like Saliba if that is his decision.”

“How many clubs are there who are really at the very top, on the roof? You know, you've got Barcelona, you've got Real Madrid, and then you've now got PSG because they have won the Champions League two times in a row. They have shown everyone that they are the best club in Europe right now.

“Arsenal and Manchester United? They are still behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, even Manchester United still to this day because they have such a big history. I know over the last few years they have not looked the same.

“When Sir Alex Ferguson was there, it was completely different. I remember in 1996, 1997, 1998 I used to watch Manchester United play and they were at the top. They were on the roof. Manchester United was so big, so strong, but now it's completely different.

“That's why I think now with clubs like Arsenal, even if they had a good history in the past, what they are doing right now is rebuilding. They are trying to tell their story again, and they are on the right track, but they are still behind Barcelona and Real Madrid.”

Could Saliba's injury problems open the door to Real Madrid?

Saliba has yet to feature for Arsenal this season because of a back injury, though he did make the bench for the Gunners’ 2-1 Champions League win over Slavia Prague on Wednesday, indicating that he will soon be in action for the Premier League champions.

Indeed, one of the few conceivable reasons for Arteta to part with the Bondy-born centre-back is if this injury becomes chronic. He previously missed three months because of a similar problem in the 2022/23 season, but since then he has been remarkably reliable since then and has rarely missed games.

This reliability is one of the many reasons that Arsenal have little intention of parting with the defender, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €113 million, making him the second most valuable centre-back in the world behind Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi.

Supporters looking to watch Saliba in action can find information on the latest Arsenal tickets here.