William Saliba names 'childhood dream' club as Arsenal star sends Real Madrid transfer message

William Saliba has named the club he supported as a child, . The 24-year-old defender has been linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu on numerous occasions in the past few months as he continues to impress for Arsenal.

Saliba, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in June 2027, has featured 30 times in the Premier League this season, keeping 11 clean sheets. Playing a key role in Mikel Arteta's side, the France international has helped the Gunners .

His steely displays for Arsenal haven't gone under the radar, reportedly attracting interest from the Spanish capital. According to , Real Madrid are long-term admirers of Saliba, and at Saint-Etienne.

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The report claims that , but a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer has been described as 'highly unlikely'. Despite this, Saliba has continued to be linked with a switch to Real Madrid.

While they may fancy their chances of luring the Frenchman to the Spanish capital, they've been dealt a major blow. Speaking recently on the YouTube channel, .

"Before I was for Arsenal," said the defender. He was then asked: "You have always been for Arsenal?"

To which, Saliba replied: "I have a photo where I was six years old, I have my Arsenal jersey on."

He was asked: "That means you’re living you’re childhood dream?"

Saliba said: "Yeah, my childhood dream, yeah, I love it!"

It's not the first time he has made clear his devotion for Arsenal. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Gunners' clash against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League earlier this season, Saliba said: "I’m really happy here. I’m happy here and I want to continue here."

The Frenchman has helped Arsenal mount numerous bids for the Premier League title in recent years. Alongside Gabriel Magalhães, the duo have helped Arteta build one of the strongest backlines in Europe.

But, when the opportunity to play up-front came about, Saliba jokingly put himself forward to lead the line. The Gunners boss said: "Willy is so funny. Straight away it was one of his reactions [to offer to play upfront].

"It’s true as well that he played there. He used to score a lot of goals. But probably a lot of players played there when they were younger. You didn’t know that, eh [that Saliba was a striker]? Yeah, yeah. ‘I’ll play as striker,’ Willy always says. ‘I’ll play.’"