Martin Zubimendi is considering rejecting Arsenal in favour of a move to Real Madrid as Xabi Alonso plans a ‘final offensive’ for his signature, according to reports in Spain.
Arsenal were believed to be leading the race to sign Zubimendi, the Real Sociedad midfielder who helped Spain win Euro 2024 last summer.
Liverpool came close to bringing Zubimendi to Anfield 12 months ago but he decided to reject the Reds and spend another season at boyhood club Sociedad.
Zubimendi has been at Real Sociedad since the age of 12 and has made more than 200 first-team appearances over the past six seasons.
Mikel Arteta is keen to welcome Zubimendi to the Emirates Stadium to bolster his midfield options following the departure of Jorginho and possible exit of Thomas Partey.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Jorginho has joined Brazilian side Flamengo after coming to the end of his contract at Arsenal, while Partey will be a free agent in a matter of weeks.
Arsenal began working on a deal for Zubimendi earlier in the year and are confident of making the Spaniard, who has a £51m release clause, one of their marquee summer signings.
But Real Madrid have been repeatedly linked with a rival bid and AS say the La Liga giants are now planning a ‘final offensive’ to win the transfer race.
Xabi Alonso wants to sign a new central midfielder after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the Bernabeu hot-seat and has identified Zubimendi as his No. 1 target.
It is claimed Madrid’s chances of hijacking Arsenal’s deal has been boosted by the fact the player would ideally like to stay in Spain.
Spanish outlet AS say Zubimendi is also ‘attracted’ to the idea of playing for Real Madrid and under Alonso, who he worked with at Real Sociedad B.
If Zubimendi indicates he will turn down Arsenal in favour of a move to Real Madrid, the European giants will try to negotiate a lower deal than his £51m buy-out clause.
They are not, however, willing to match Arsenal’s contract offer, which is believed to be worth around £8m-a-year.
Zubimendi cools Arsenal transfer talk
Zubimendi admitted his future remained open in an interview last week and heaped praise on new Real Madrid boss Alonso, describing him as his ‘idol’.
‘Of course there are options, but it’s true that it looks like it’s going to be a different, long summer, and I don’t know how it’s going to end,’ he told Radio Nacional from the Spain national team’s camp.
‘Right now, thinking about it isn’t my priority. I’m here with the national team, which is already quite demanding, and if I have to say something, then I will.’
On the influence of Alonso on his career, Zubimendi added: ‘I’ve always said that he was my idol and that for me it was a stroke of luck that he was able to coach me in the reserve team in a very important year.
‘[But] I don’t like to talk about those hypotheses, I like to talk about the present.
‘I think it would be disrespectful to answer a question [about a Madrid move] while I’m in the national team, and facing such an important competition.’
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay recently gave Real Madrid fresh hope of beating Arsenal to a transfer deal for Zubimendi.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.