Arsenal have been tipped to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi this summer, but Real Madrid’s recent links put the whole deal in jeopardy.
The very presence of the Madrid superpower will worry any football fans as their pulling power remains unmatched and Arsenal could be pipped to the post when it comes to a deal for Zubimendi.
Having impressed for Spain across the past few years and in La Liga for Sociedad, the deep-lying midfielder nearly joined Liverpool last season but opted to remain. Less than a year on, he looks nailed on to leave the club.
The Daily Mail had claimed that Arsenal had ‘almost completed’ a move for the midfielder in January and reports claimed later on that they are still leading the race, and Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth has now opened up on the very latest.
“I’d say that the Zubimendi one is almost definitely going to happen to Arsenal. I just wonder when you look back now to the summer transfer window, Liverpool were all set to sign Martin Zubimendi, and then there was a late change of heart,” Sheth said.
“It’s not been confirmed to anyone, but seeing now, a year later, he’s very, very likely to join Arsenal, was there a late intervention by Arsenal in the summer?
“You’d have to ask that question because he looked all set to go to Liverpool. It looked like it was a done deal. The deal was agreed. It was him who changed his mind in the last minute. And you just wonder whether Arsenal had come in and said, look, we can’t bring you in now, we desperately want you. Mikel Arteta knows him really well.
“And maybe he just thought, I’ll just bide my time for the time being. I actually want to go to Arsenal. Maybe he thought that.”
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Real Madrid’s reported interest
Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that Zubimendi is “very close” to signing for Los Blancos, as backed up by publication AS.
In terms of Madrid’s squad, Luka Modric, now 39, is out of contract at the end of the season, and the future of Dani Ceballos is definitely up in the air, given their midfield links. Zubimendi could replace either or both, should they need to free up space.
His style of play would be perfect to complement the more athletic styles of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, but his arrival would mean a very stacked midfield, which would mean some players would have to sit out.
However, with Arsenal set to lose both Jorginho and Thomas Partey on a free transfer, it makes more sense to head to England and be a guaranteed starter alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
Plus, he boasts a strong relationship with Mikel Merino having played together at Sociedad in the past, and that connection could be key in a move. It would give Mikel Arteta’s side a boost and it may just be the edge he needs to avoid Madrid, despite the reported claims.