It is not official yet, but it may as well be: Real Madrid will not sign William Saliba now. At least, not for a fair few years.
He has, according to every single trustworthy journalist in world football, agreed to extend his contract with Arsenal till 2030, and that will give Arsenal fans a sigh of relief.
That means that if Real Madrid were to sign a center back in the summer of 2026 - which looks like a possibility - it will not be the Frenchman.
Instead, though, there are three other routes Real Madrid could take, and all of them involve at least one really talented defender who either is already good or can become really good. Here are three such options:
3 William Saliba alternatives for Real Madrid to consider now
Ibrahima Konaté
Konaté is the most realistic option, as well as the best option when it comes to cost. He will be a free agent next year, and there has been no agreement with Liverpool yet over a possible extension.
Konaté is the best option Real Madrid can go for. He is a right-sided centre-back. He can pass the ball well enough - although it is not his speciality - but he is just an absolute force to be reckoned with in defense.
He has also played alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold on many occasions before, so it will be a seamless fit in defense.
Konaté's injury record has been worrying, though, but it seems to have improved over the last couple of years, and I imagine that if Real Madrid were to sign him, there would not be as much of a load on him defensively because of the options they have in his position.
Konaté would be at the top of my list if I were to sign a defender next season.
Alessandro Bastoni
Bastoni is one of the best central defenders in world football. He has played well for a number of years now, and it seems to be working out just fine for him and Inter.
He is an integral cog in that Inter team, and he is really good with and without the ball. It makes sense for Real Madrid to sign him. He moves like a leader and defends like one as well.
The only slight problems with Bastoni are his price tag and the system he plays in. Bastoni has played in a three-defender system for a long time. Whenever he has played in a four-man defense, he has not looked particularly good.
The second worry is that the price might be a bit too high for Real Madrid to want to sign Bastoni. If these two things are sorted, and Alonso really thinks he is the best player for the position, Real Madrid should go for him.
Joan Martínez, from Real Madrid's Castilla team
Why sign a brilliant center back when you can have one for free?
Martínez is a very talented center back at Real Madrid Castilla. He was supposed to be in Raúl Asencio's position last season, but he got injured and had to sit out the whole of last season.
Now, he is back. He is playing well, and he has some brilliant attributes to his game. MartínezMartínez is a great player in a system. He does not mind pushing up, or staying back, which will help Dean Huijsen quite a bit.
Martínez is also a brilliant defender, he knows what he is doing and when to do it. His ball-playing is good, he is a quick thinker and a very tall center back. He is not the quickest, but he will work out just fine. It all depends on him being able to realise his potential.