Barcelona handed major blow in race to sign La Liga star as Busquets' replacement

Cameron Smith

• 21 May 2023 12:00 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona's hopes of signing Martin Zubimendi have been dashed following comments from Real Sociedad's head coach Imanol Alguacil.

Zubimendi, 24, is seen as one of the Blaugrana's key summer targets as they look to find a suitable replacement for departing club legend Sergio Busquets.

The young Spaniard has impressed since he burst onto the scene in 2020/21 and has already racked up over 130 senior appearances during his short career so far.

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The 24-year-old has previously been linked with Chelsea, who were interested in pursuing a deal last summer before deciding against signing him. The Blues instead purchased Denis Zakaria on a one-year loan deal and later added Enzo Fernandez in the winter window.

Arsenal are another club who have scouted Zubimendi in the past, although they also opted for alternative options.

As a result, it's left Barcelona with a free run at Zubimendi, but he may well stay put at Real Sociedad, rather than move to Camp Nou.

What has been said?

Speaking after their 2-1 victory over La Liga champions Barcelona last night, La Real boss Alguacil said: "I’ve no doubts, he wants to stay here and play Champions League with Real Sociedad."

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Victory has put Sociedad within touching distance of Champions League football with three games left to play. They are currently five points clear of Villarreal in fifth, despite Gerard Moreno's last minute winner against Girona.

In addition to Alguacil's comments, midfielder Mikel Merino added: "His plan is very clear, I think."

Barcelona's loss against Sociedad was their first home defeat of the season, although it did not dampen the atmosphere as they were crowned La Liga champions for the first time since 2019.

While Zubimendi is seen as a perfect piece of Xavi's project, given his ability in possession and ball-winning style, there are other options for Barcelona.

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan has constantly been linked with a move and could finally jump ship to join Barcelona, while N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves have previously been touted for a move to Camp Nou.