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Real Madrid interested in Arsenal 27yo

Real Madrid are interested in signing Martin Zubimendi from Arsenal this summer, but the Gunners don’t want to sell him at this stage.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Declan Rice during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on February 07, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Tom Canton reports for Football.London that Real Madrid are interested in signing Martin Zubimendi this summer, having seemingly missed out on a move for Manchester City’s Rodri.

Canton adds that Arsenal don’t want to sell Zubimendi, and Mikel Arteta plans to keep the midfielder in his squad this season. But Canton adds that every player has a price.

Yet the report also suggests that senior officials at Real Madrid are not aligned on the Zubimendi signing, so perhaps it’s not a sure thing that they’ll end up making an offer.

Even if they do, it would have to be a big one to convince Arsenal to change their stance on the midfielder.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal is replaced by teammate Max Dowman during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

In Spain, Fermin de la Calle reports that Zubimendi is on Real Madrid’s shortlist, as they search for a midfield signing before the end of the summer window.

De la Calle claims Arsenal have priced Zubimendi at €90m (£76.9m), which would represent a very significant profit on what the Gunners paid last year.

But that makes sense, as the player hasn’t been angling for a transfer, he still has a long contract in north London, and he was a regular in a team that won the Premier League and reached the finals of the Champions League and League Cup. His value very much should have increased.

Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on December 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

For the time being, it doesn’t seem as though any kind of move is imminent, or that Real Madrid are even aligned on whether they want to make one. But their interest in Zubimendi is certainly long-standing, as they were one of the clubs in the mix for him last summer.

With Arsenal making another midfield addition in Bruno Guimaraes, it’s not impossible someone might make way. It would just be somewhat of a surprise for it to be Zubimendi, after the Gunners made such an effort to bring him to the club so recently.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 14, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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