Arsenal are interested in signing Real Sociedad centre-back Jon Martin.
The Gunners recently suffered a setback as William Saliba picked up a back injury on World Cup duty.
The Frenchman was substituted in the opening half of the semi-final against Spain. He was visibly in pain before being replaced by Maxence Lacroix in the 30th minute.
It has since been reported that the 25-year-old may require back surgery to solve the concern. The Gunners anticipate Saliba to be sidelined for four to five months.
Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa has recently emerged as a prime target to provide cover for Saliba. The Sun now claim that Sociedad’s Martin is another player on the Gunners’ radar.
Sporting director Andrea Berta likes to keep multiple targets. Martin is a centre-back being considered.
Arsenal likely to opt for experience over youth
Konsa has been one of the Premier League’s best-performing centre-backs. He had a brilliant 2025/26 season as Villa finished fourth in the top-flight and won the Europa League.
His current contract with the Villans expires in June 2028. Arsenal appear keen to capitalise on the situation to negotiate the 28-year-old’s transfer this summer.
However, they face a big hurdle with Villa having set a hefty £60 million price tag.
The Gunners could be reluctant to make such a huge outlay on a player who will be 29 in October, and may seek a discount of at least £15m to secure an agreement.
Martin could be the fallback option, but the 20-year-old won’t come on the cheap either.
The Spaniard had his breakout season with Sociedad last term, with 32 appearances in all competitions, and went on to make his national team debut against Iraq, playing 58 minutes.
Martin has similar traits to Konsa, with good passing accuracy (91 percent). He won almost 70 percent of his aerial duels in La Liga last term, with three recoveries and six clearances per game.
Berta pulled off one of the bargains of last summer with the £13m acquisition of Cristhian Mosquera, but Valencia had no choice but to sell as his contract was expiring in June 2026.
In Martin’s case, Sociedad have no desire to sell due to his lengthy contract (2031). Only triggering or paying a higher fee than his £43m release clause could lead to his departure.
We don’t see Arsenal spending such a sum on a player who has just begun his senior career. They are more likely to try and persuade Villa to accept a lower price for Konsa’s transfer.
Konsa brings extensive Premier League experience and can also play as a right-back. He should prove a fine signing for Arsenal, who are ‘expected‘ to part ways with Ben White.
Stats from Sofascore