Arsenal and Barcelona are two of the favourites to land midfielder Martin Zubimendi but according to Spanish outlet SPORT, the Catalans are about to be left high and dry.
Strengthening their midfield is one of Barca’s priorities in the summer and Martin Zubimendi and Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich are two of Xavi’s preferred targets. The Spanish side have already held talks with Zubimendi’s representatives and while they are very keen to bring him on board, the Catalans have made it clear that they cannot afford his release clause.
His contract with Real Sociedad expires in 2027 and it has a €60 million release clause however, Barcelona’s current financial distress does not allow them to pay that much money.
Will Arsenal be able to land Martin Zubimendi or will Barca come back?
There have been reports that Barcelona are willing to sell several of their important players in order to sign their big summer targets so obviously it’s very early to write them off.
However, Arsenal are very much in the driver’s seat right now because with Thomas Partey set to leave in the summer, Martin Zubimendi can come and slot right in. The 25-year-old has been phenomenal for Sociedad this season, featuring in 31 league games this season and since making his senior debut for Real Sociedad in 2019, Martin Zubimendi has played in close to 200 games across all competitions.
This season, he has a rating of 7.20 out of 10 and he has 37 interceptions, 7 blocks and 169 recovery runs against his name. Jorginho is going to stay back for one more season and he along with Zubimendi will bring ample balance in central midfield next season.
Arsenal have also been linked with Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich and while the German is in the same price bracket, singing a 25-year-old Martin Zubimendi would make much more sense.
Paying €60 million for a player of Zubimendi’s talent won’t be a problem for Arsenal but we have a feeling Barcelona are not down and out. There are rumours that Barcelona are willing to offload Frenkie De Jong for the right price and if they can get a handsome fee from the Dutch international’s sale then triggering the Sociedad midfielder’s release clause won’t be an issue for them.
