Real Madrid news: Arsenal duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba linked with move to Santiago Bernabéu

Looking set to lose their LaLiga trophy to Hansi Flick and Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona, Florentino Perez has already set about making changes to go and challenge for all the major trophies next season.

With Los Blancos closing in on Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold, it seems as though they are ready to make some big moves for an impressive Arsenal duo.

Transfer News Blitz writer Joe Matthews has looked at why Real are ready to do their summer shopping in North London.

Real Madrid want Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba 

Having been knocked out of the Champions League by an enlightened Arsenal side, it seems as though Real wish to take revenge on their rivals from North London by taking two of their key players, according to the Spanish outlet Fichajes.

The Spanish giants are reportedly keen on centre-back stalwart William Saliba, and 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been covering at left-back all season in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Califiori, amongst others.

The selection of these two high-class footballers represents a clear shift in focus from Madrid.

In recent years, the LaLiga side have become synonymous with securing the talents of some of the world’s best players on free transfers. 

The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba have all made the move to the Spanish capital for free.

But as these players have aged, Rudiger and Alaba have found themselves in the midst of a much larger injury crisis taking hold of the Santiago Bernabéu.

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Covering the injury crisis

Real Madrid’s defence has taken a beating this season.

Long-term injuries have struck their entire first-choice back line, with Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao suffering ACL tears, and both Rudiger and Alaba tearing their meniscus.

With three centre-backs and a European Championship-winning right-back gone, they also lost two left-back options in Ferland Mendy and Edouardo Camavinga.

Therefore, with their entire defence largely covered by youngsters and a converted Aurelien Tchouameni, it is clear the 15-time Champions League winners are in dire need of fresh legs.

And that is where Saliba and Lewis-Skelly can help.

William Saliba, the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of North London

The Frenchman has established himself as a truly world-class defender over the course of the last few seasons, being a consistent standout in the Premier League since he made his Gunners debut in 2022.

He is the outfield player with the most minutes in all competitions of the entire Arsenal squad, and has even scored twice in that time.

At the age of just 24 years old, he will certainly be set to play a key role in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the future.

The French international has two years left on his current deal in N5 and is reportedly in talks over a fresh contract extension.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, from Hale End to first-team regular

While the 24-year-old Saliba looks to be key going forward, it is Real Madrid’s liking of Lewis-Skelly that raises eyebrows most.

It is not surprising that football’s biggest entity is interested in one of the best centre-backs around, but when they come sniffing around an Arsenal academy product, it is much more out of the blue.

Lewis-Skelly would likely slot seamlessly into a wide array of the world’s top teams, as his positional flexibility and intelligent thinking mean he can adapt rapidly to the game around him.

He has made 21 Premier League appearances this term, as well as 10 games in a Champions League campaign that saw Arsenal confidently through the league phase, before beating Madrid in both legs of their quarter-final - arguably putting in a Player of the Match-worthy performance.

Should Real Madrid be able to equip Alonso with both Saliba and Lewis-Skelly, they will certainly be ready to put up a serious challenge to Flick’s Barcelona. 

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