Real Madrid have already brought in the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries this summer as new manager Jose Mourinho makes a host of changes.
Konate made 183 appearances for Liverpool, helping them lift the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups before making the shock switch to the La Liga giants.
Now, Desailly predicts that Saliba could make a similar move in the coming years in a move that would devastate Arsenal supporters.
"Yes, yes. I do expect William Saliba to one day wear the colours of Real Madrid. He’s committed to Arsenal for the next, I don’t know, four years. But he’s young, so why not?
“The door is open, and all the best players want to play for Real Madrid at some point in their careers. The door is open. But not now. Not now. He is the best central defender, so it is what it is today."
"Who do I think is the best centre-back in the world? It’s not Virgil van Dijk.
"He has his level, we know; there’s no doubt he’s a great defender. But on some occasions, he has shown a little bit of weakness. It’s also probably due to his past injury; in 1v1 situations, he is no longer exceptional like he was before, though he’s still a great player."
Saliba and Gabriel formed a defensive partnership last season which helped the club to their first league title in 20 years. A move away from North London seems unlikely but if any team can convince him to leave, it’s Real Madrid.