Real Madrid are reportedly stepping up their interest in Spain international midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who’s a top summer transfer target for Arsenal, with the La Liga title contenders also making a new manoeuvre for the player which may worry Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal open talks to sign Martin Zubimendi in pre-summer deal
Since the January transfer window, Arsenal have been attempting to wrap up a deal for Zubimendi pre-summer.
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Mikel Arteta’s top target has now made it clear he wants to move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
It was first reported by The Mail that Arsenal had entered advanced talks for Zubimendi in the winter, and the Real Sociedad star would come in to fill the void left by Thomas Partey and Jorginho, who are set to leave the Emirates at the end of this season when their contracts expire.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
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Fulham (home) |
April 1st |
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Everton (away) |
April 5th |
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Brentford (home) |
April 12th |
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Ipswich Town (away) |
April 20th |
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Crystal Palace (home) |
April 26th |
According to other reports since then, Arsenal remain hopeful of reaching an agreement for Zubimendi before the beginning of this summer window, which is slowly approaching with just nine games left to play in the Premier League.
However, while new Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta is said to be determined to seal Zubimendi’s signature, it is by no means a done deal for the 26-year-old yet, despite negotiations rumoured to be going on for the last few months.
Arsenal have verbally agreed broad terms with Zubimendi, according to reliable journalist Ben Jacobs, but there is still every chance that another club could swoop in and spoil Arteta’s chances of landing him, and he could even decide to remain at Sociedad like he did last summer.
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been credited with interest in the Spaniard, as per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, so Arteta faces stiff competition from a host of elite sides.
One of their rivals for his signature, Real Madrid specifically, are also now beginning to pose a serious threat to Arsenal.
Real Madrid make “fresh” Martin Zubimendi move that “will rock” Arsenal
That is according to journalist Graeme Bailey and The Boot Room, who report that Carlo Ancelotti’s side are now ramping up talks with the player’s representatives in an attempt to hijack the north Londoners.
As per TBR and Bailey, Real Madrid are now making it clear to Zubimendi that they want him at the Bernabeu this summer, in a “fresh” move that “will rock” Arsenal.
Their serious presence in the race for Zubimendi does come as a concern for Arteta, and it is believed they’re fully aware of the threat they pose. It is also a key reason why they attempted to sign him last summer, but now it appears Arsenal will have to beat off competition from Europe’s most alluring club.
Zubimendi’s contract contains a £50 million release clause, which Arsenal are prepared to trigger (Fabrizio Romano), but the main difficulty in this transfer is convincing Zubimendi to swap Spain for England.
