Arsenal to battle Euro heavyweights for €65m Spain midfielder

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 3 Feb 2024 13:46 GMT
• 2 min read

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi will be at the centre of a three-way transfer tussle in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, with Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all keen on his signature.

The 24-year-old is one of Sociedad’s top performers and is under contract at the Anoeta Stadium until 2027 with a reported release clause of €65 million.

He boasts four caps for Spain, being part of the squad that won the 2023 Nations League, and is regarded as one of the top midfield talents in LaLiga.

Real are through to the last 16 of this season’s Champions League, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain, but the Basque side are well off the pace in the Spanish top flight this term.

Focus will soon turn to incoming bids ahead of the summer transfer window, with European big hitters now casting their eye.

Arsenal and Barca's restricted spending

Arsenal’s spending was restricted in the winter window, with not a single senior arrival, but should be in a position to spend again at the end of the season. It’s no secret that the Gunners are seeking a midfielder to complement Declan Rice and, according to Romano, manager Mikel Arteta is a big fan of Zubimendi.

Barcelona currently have very little headroom for new signings and there remains considerable doubt that they will be able to register players at the end of the season either, given the scale of their spending limits, but Romano states that the Catalans still hope to sign a new midfielder for next term.

Bayern, meanwhile, could lose Joshua Kimmich at the season’s end and will need a replacement. And, according to Romano, the Bavarians are very keen on Zubimendi.

“Three clubs will go very strong on Zubimendi,” he told subscribers on his official YouTube channel.

“One is Bayern because they want that kind of player and Zubimendi is super appreciated.

“Another one is Arsenal, they will sign an important midfielder in the summer and Zubimendi is super appreciated by Mike Arteta.

“The player is also appreciated by Barcelona but let's see how much space they will have for financial fair play.

“Barcelona want to sign an important midfielder in the summer transfer window.”

Zubimendi, who has been compared with Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso, was a Copa del Rey winner with Real in 2020.