According to The Athletic, Arsenal remain very interested in landing the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners have been long-term admirers of the Spain international and The Athletic claim that they are still keen on signing him. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is an admirer of his compatriot, but a deal could be complicated due to the player’s reluctance to leave his boyhood club.
As per The Athletic, Zubimendi has a release clause in the region of £50 million in his contract which can be triggered this summer. However, the 25-year-old has not shown any intention of considering a move away from the Basque outfit.
Difficult deal
Arsenal currently have an ageing midfield with Jorginho and Thomas Partey among their defensive midfielders. Jorginho penned a new one-year deal earlier this year and the Italian is expected to continue at the club next season.
However, there is a chance that Partey could be on his way out. The Ghanaian has had an injury affected career with the Gunners and he was sidelined for several months last season with multiple issues. He only started regularly from April.
With his contract expiring in June 2025, Partey could be offloaded for a quality replacement. Zubimendi would be the ideal solution for the Gunners. Arteta has been desperate to bring the Spaniard to North London for some time.
However, the major stumbling block towards a deal is the player himself. Zubimendi has been reluctant to consider a new challenge away from his boyhood team and the Gunners face a task of persuading him into a transfer.
The holding midfielder was more than happy to stay at Sociedad last season after their Champions League qualification and manager Imanio recently said that he is confident of keeping Zubimendi for the 2024/25 campaign.
With such a firm stance from the player and manager, a deal could be difficult to pull off for the Gunners.
