Arsenal They are in pole position to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi in the summer transfer window, according Calciomercato.
The Italian publication claims that teams such as Juventus and AC Milan are interested in signing the 25-year-old midfielder and could meet his salary demands of €4 million a year.
However, the Serie A giants are unable to match his £51m (€60m) release clause, leaving Arsenal in the “front row” to sign Zubimendi this summer. The Gunners have been heavily linked with the Spain international in recent months and have the financial power to trigger his release fee.
Zubimendi has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in the Spanish league and is certainly good enough for the first division. He would add technical skill, control, composure and creativity in the middle of the park. It would help Arsenal control games better and dictate the pace of the game.
The Gunners are currently lacking depth in central midfield and Zubimendi could be the ideal long-term replacement for Jorginho. The 25-year-old midfielder could form a quality partnership with Declan Rice in the heart of Arsenal's midfield.
Zubimendi could transform Arsenal
The reported asking price may seem high at the moment, but the Spaniard has not yet reached his peak and will only improve with training and experience. It could justify the investment in the coming seasons.
Arsenal will have to add more quality to the team if they want to compete for major trophies on a consistent basis. Signing a quality central midfielder and a reliable goalscorer should be your priorities heading into the transfer window.
Zubimendi has shown his quality with Real Sociedad and could be tempted if a major Premier League club calls him up. The opportunity to move to Arsenal could be hard to turn down.
To make room for Zubimendi, Arsenal would need to offload one of their current midfielders with Thomas Partey the most likely to leave after another injury-plagued season.
