Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The Spaniard attracted a lot of attention last summer after displaying promising performances for club and country last term. The Gunners were tentatively linked with a move for him but the Reds showed the most concrete interest in hiring him.
However, the player eventually decided to stay at his boyhood club. After failing to secure his service, the Merseyside club didn’t purchase anyone else to bolster the engine room and are said to be willing to sign a new midfielder next year.
On the other hand, the Gunners signed Zubimendi’s compatriot and former club teammate, Mikel Merino, to add depth to the midfield department last summer.
However, with Thomas Partey and Jorginho’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, Mikel Arteta’s side are seemingly planning to sign a new midfielder.
Battle
Fichajes state that Arsenal and Liverpool have set their sights on signing Zubimendi and they could make a concrete approach to hire him in the upcoming January window.
However, it is unlikely that the player will leave in January and he doesn’t want to move abroad with Real Madrid his preferred destination if he were to leave. So, it won’t be easy for Arsenal or Liverpool to persuade him to move to the Premier League.
The Spain international has a contract until 2027 with La Real and has a £51m release clause included in his current contract.
Zubimendi is a technically sound deep-lying playmaker and is an ideal player to play in a possession-based system. So, he would be a perfect fit to play in Mikel Arteta or Arne Slot’s system.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club or the Merseyside club can eventually manage to lure the Real Sociedad star away from Anoeta in January or next summer.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are currently third in the Premier League table with 28 points from 14 games, while Liverpool are at the summit with a seven points lead.
The Anfield club’s this weekend’s game against Everton has been postponed due to weather issues so Arsenal have an excellent opportunity to close the gap uptop.
