Real Madrid partly behind reason Arsenal didn't go for Martin Zubimendi as Liverpool close to deal – report

Liverpool are closing in on an agreement with Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, according to the latest reports. The 25-year-old has a €60m release clause, but his willingness to move has come as a major surprise.

In recent years, Barcelona and Arsenal had been widely linked with Zubimendi, and the latter also this transfer market. Instead they seem to go for their teammate Mikel Merino, but part of the reason is due to the fact that they did not feel that they could convince.

This is second GMS, who say that Zubimendi's opening to a move came as a surprise to many in the game, as Liverpool pursued Genoa's Morten Frendrup, Fluminense's Andre or Borussia Moenchengladbach's Manu Kone. On the other hand, Arsenal were under the impression that Zubimendi would remain in Donostia-San Sebastian again, before they could join Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid in 2025.

Meanwhile, The Times has published an update to confirm that La Real will not give up Zubimendi without a fight. The Txuri-Urdin hierarchy has now launched a “charm offensive” to try to persuade Zubimendi to stay,

Zubimendi and Alonso would cross while the latter was in Real Sociedad B, and remains an icon for Gipuzkoa in general. The Leverkusen manager was also cited by Zubimendi as an idol and role model, playing in the same position, and it seems the 25-year-old will relish the chance to follow in Alonso's footsteps.

It should be noted that the manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, has an agreement until 2026 at the Santiago Bernabeu, and that would leave at least two years before Zubimendi is likely to join Alonso in Madrid, if he ends up replacing the italian If Liverpool can get the green light from Zubimendi, and Merino leaves, it would be a major blow for La Real.