Antonio Rudiger reveals that the Arsenal star would be his dream transfer to Real Madrid
Antonio Rudiger has revealed that he would love for one of Arsenal's stars to join him at Real Madrid.
The two-time Champions League champion showed his admiration for William Saliba and said that the French centre-back would be his dream signing for the Spanish giants.
The 23-year-old has continued to be a rock for Mikel Arteta's side, exuding confidence and calm when on the ball and defending one-on-one.
Arsenal He has three Premier League clean sheets in six games and has not conceded in two Champions League games.
Appearing in the Inside Scoop Podcast Rudiger, who arrived at Los Blancos in 2022 and has won seven trophies, showed his admiration for the stone behind the Gunners.
When they asked him which defense he would sign for real MadridThe former Chelsea player responded: “I say William Saliba.
“I am very happy with my central teammate (Eder) Militao because he is also coming back from a big injury and is returning to his best level, but there are so many games that we would rotate.
“Having Saliba… would be great.”
The Germany international praised Saliba's partnership with Gunners teammate Gabriel Magalhaes, naming them as two of his three best centre-backs at the moment.
“I went out and Virgil van Dijk And I also like Gabriel from Arsenal,” he continued.
“I just enjoy, for example, if you look at Arsenal, the two centre-backs playing together for two years and now they are doing an incredible job.
“The transformation of Arsenal that existed before and now, those two are its pillars. You have Gabriel, the most aggressive leader and Saliba, this brother plays fair.
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“He seems like a silent leader.”
The 2022/23 campaign saw the rise of the duo and Saliba's injury was arguably the reason Arsenal's title challenge was derailed.
Last season, the Gunners came very close to ending their 20-year drought but lost the Premier League on the final day after keeping 18 clean sheets, the most in the top flight, 15 of which came when Saliba and Gabriel started as a couple.
The two have continued to grow and have formed arguably the best defense in the league alongside players like Jurrien Timber and Ben White.
Mikel Arteta have built a team highly respected defensively across Europe, a reputation that was boosted by their 2-0 win against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Landing Saliba will be a difficult and expensive task for any interested club as he signed a four-year contract with Arsenal in July 2023, which expires in 2027.
A move to Madrid would likely break the transfer record for a defender, currently held by Josko Gvardiol, who moved from RB Leipzig to Manchester City for £77.6m in 2023.
Yes, Real Madrid have a lot of money, but Rudiger may be out of luck as Saliba is committed to Arteta's project.
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In an interview with Arsenal in September, he said: “I still have goals and ambition because I haven't won anything. “I have had good seasons, but you have to win some trophies and that is what I want to do with Arsenal and the national team.”
When asked about the secret of his partnership with Gabriel, he replied: “There is no secret, I am good, he is good. We both speak French and are now playing together in our third season.
“We know each other very well and it is a pleasure to play every game with him. We grow up together because he's young too, so it's really good to have him by my side.”
