According The Athletic, Arsenal I am still very interested in signing Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners have been long-time admirers of the Spanish international and The Athletic They claim they are still interested in signing him. arsenal coach Mikel Arteta He is an admirer of his compatriot, but the agreement could be complicated due to the player's reluctance to leave his boyhood club.
according to the athletic, Zubimendi has a release clause of around £50m in his contract which can be activated this summer. However, the 25-year-old has shown no intention of considering leaving the Basque team.
difficult deal
Arsenal currently have an aging midfield with Jorginho and Thomas Partey among their defensive midfielders. Jorginho signed a new one-year contract earlier this year and the Italian is expected to continue at the club next season.
However, there is a possibility that Partey is on his way out. The Ghanaian had an injury-hit career with the Gunners and was sidelined for several months last season with multiple problems. He only started regularly from April.
With his contract expiring in June 2025, Partey could be let go 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 biggest obstacle to reaching an agreement is the player himself. Zubimendi has been reluctant to consider a new challenge outside of his boyhood team and the Gunners face the task of persuading him to make a transfer.
The midfielder was more than happy to stay at Sociedad last season after his Champions League qualification and manager Imanio recently said who is confident of retaining Zubimendi for the 2024/25 campaign.
With such a firm stance from the player and manager, it could be difficult to get a deal done for the Gunners.
