Tuchel 'afraid' of Arsenal's interest in Bayern's 'No.1 target'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Jan 2024 09:22 GMT
• 3 min read

Bayern are said to be 'afraid' that Arsenal will take their 'No.1 target' Martin Zubimendi from them, according to a report.

The Real Sociedad star is quickly becoming one of Europe's most in-demand midfielders, which is unsurprising given his consistently solid performances for Erreala, helping them get into the Champions League knockouts for the first time in 20 years.

Arsenal were hot on his trail already in 2023 and are once again very keen indeed on the 24-year-old, who would be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana due to his €60 million release clause.

Moreover, Zubimendi, a boyhood Real Sociedad fan, hails from the same city as Mikel Arteta, who is also from San Sebastian and previously played for the popular Basque outfit. On Thursday Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal will be rivalled by Bayern for Zubimendi's signature. In fact, the midfielder is the Bavarians' 'No.1 target.'

Bayern terrified of Arsenal

That's at least according to BILD's Christian Falk, who reports that Arsenal's interest has left Bayern and Thomas Tuchel afraid of missing out on the Spain international. “Martin Zubimendi is the No.1 target for Bayern ahead of Joao Palhinha,” he told CaughtOffside.

“He has a release clause of €60m, which is why he’s so interesting. Bayern Munich are pushing for him and it’s also interesting that [Leverkusen coach] Xabi Alonso is with the same agency. Bayern executives are watching him closely as a potential coach for the Bavarian outfit."

“Bayern also heard that Mikel Arteta is already talking to the player. They’re both Spanish as well, which is a big advantage for Arsenal! Bayern were very sure that they would lead the race for Zubimendi but now that Arsenal are there, they’re afraid of the Gunners and afraid that Mikel Arteta could take this player away, which had been a planned move for the summer.”