Arsenal are operating on the assumption that Martin Zubimendi will be a Gunner this summer, with the club confident they will not face serious competition from Real Madrid or any other rival at the final stage of the process.
Despite contrasting reports emerging from Spanish media over the past few weeks, Arsenal are understood to have completed the vast majority of the groundwork needed to sign Zubimendi, and they are not waiting on movement from other clubs to finalise their plan.
Whether or not the deal is completely done, Arsenal are reportedly operating on the basis that they’ll be signing the player, having already done a lot of legwork to get to this stage.
That confidence was echoed today in a report by John Cross in the Daily Mirror, who wrote:
“Arsenal believe they will have a clear run at signing midfielder Martin Zubimendi this summer.”
He added: “Despite the arrival of Arsenal’s new sporting director Andrea Berta, the Gunners had already put in an exhaustive amount of work on getting a deal done for Zubimendi, 26, who is hugely admired by Mikel Arteta.”
It is understood that Mikel Arteta has personally driven the pursuit of Zubimendi for over a year, with contact between the player’s representatives and Arsenal occurring as far back as last summer.
The midfielder is believed to have been viewed internally as a long-term successor to Thomas Partey, and his £51 million release clause is well within Arsenal’s budget.
There has been disagreement in the Spanish press regarding Real Madrid’s stance. AS initially claimed that Arsenal are the frontrunners despite Madrid’s interest, while COPE suggested the player was leaning toward a move to the Bernabéu, prompting speculation of a possible hijack.
But Real Madrid have not advanced their interest in any meaningful way and, according to multiple well-placed sources, have not contacted Real Sociedad over a potential transfer.
David Ornstein of The Athletic has also reported that he hasn’t heard anything on Real Madrid‘s interest and that Arsenal are expecting the midfielder to join this summer.
Zubimendi remains central to Real Sociedad, with 41 appearances this season and consistent selection for Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad. He was a key figure in Spain’s successful Euro 2024 campaign, making four appearances and playing a decisive 45 minutes in the final following an injury to Rodri.
Zubimendi, who has also played under Xabi Alonso at youth level and is widely regarded as one of the most tactically intelligent midfielders in La Liga, has been selective in his career moves so far. He rejected approaches from other Premier League clubs last summer, including Liverpool, and is understood to have great respect for Arteta’s project at Arsenal.
While official confirmation is still pending, sources close to the negotiations believe Arsenal are on track to complete one of their key summer targets, one that has been months, if not years, in the making.