Arsenal get Zubimendi update as Real Sociedad boss makes final PLEA

Tom Weber

Updated: 28 Apr 2025 19:28 BST
4 min read

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has made one last plea to Martin Zubimendi, who is expected to join Arsenal this summer.

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The Spanish midfielder is likely to leave his hometown club in the upcoming window after agreeing to make the move to North London over the winter.

Current ETV

Martín Zubimendi

DM, M (C)

Real Sociedad

Martín Zubimendi

DM, M (C)

Real Sociedad

ETV Range

€49.7M - €60.7M

Zubimendi has been courted by Arsenal for years, but the Gunners only managed to reach a real breakthrough in January following a new approach for the 26-year-old.

The Real Sociedad homegrown was expected to join Liverpool last summer, but it has been posited that Arsenal intervened in the talks and managed to convince Zubimendi to put off leaving his boyhood club for another year.

Mikel Arteta, who also hails from San Sebastian, is known to be infatuated with Zubimendi, and it is thought that he played a massive part in finally securing the green light from the player.

Real Sociedad's final Zubimendi plea

Real Sociedad already believed last summer that Zubimendi would leave, so it comes as no surprise that they are already seemingly resigned to losing the midfielder, who will flush a sizeable €60 million into their coffers.

Speaking to Radio MARCA, club president Jokin Aperribay has now made one last plea to Zubimendi with a statement that sounds more like a goodbye than anything else.

"We'll see what happens," he began. "All I ask of him is one last effort to qualify for Europe, and whatever happens will happen in June. There's no point in speculating now about whether he'll be here. He's had several opportunities to leave, and he'll make the decision he wants because he'll have more options.

"I don't know if it's difficult for him to stay. We haven't tried to raise the [€60m release] clause. Contracts aren't negotiated like that. It's more a matter of willpower. If he wants to continue, the conversation will last five minutes. I don't know if it's difficult."

It has been a disappointing season for Erreala. They were playing in the Champions League last term, but now they only sit 10th in the LaLiga table. Sporting director Roberto Olabe and head coach Imanol Alguacil will both leave at the end of the season, so it seems a good time for Zubimendi to jump ship.

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