Arsenal have been long-term admirers of Martin Zubimendi however, the midfielder is very close to joining Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Liverpool, like Arsenal, have shown some serious interest in the Real Sociedad man and the Reds are now ready to trigger Zubimendi’s release clause worth around €60 million.
The midfielder is reportedly willing to snub Arsenal and join Liverpool so all that remains is for Liverpool to dig into their pockets and pay the required amount. Real Sociedad will prefer the payment to be made in full instead of instalments and if Arne Slot’s team can agree to that then Martin Zubimendi could be at Anfield within the next couple of days.
Should Arsenal give up hope of landing Martin Zubimendi?
Since the start of the transfer window, Arsenal have been scouting the Sociedad midfielder as the long-term replacement for Thomas Partey.
Mikel Arteta feels the partnership of Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice will be a game-changer for Arsenal but now it seems like, the manager’s dream is not going to come through.
Paying €60 million for such a top-quality midfielder won’t be a problem for the Gunners but it will be very hard for them to turn this one around because the 25-year-old has green light a move to Liverpool.
However, all is not lost for the North London side because David Ornstein is claiming that Liverpool are very to make up their mind on whether to pay the release clause in full or not.
“The problem has been two-fold. There’s a release clause in his contract and it needs to be paid in full, unless Real Sociedad are willing to negotiate a lower fee,” Ornstein has said.
“There has been no sign of that to his point. If they[Sociedad] are to lose someone like Mikel Merino, his teammate, and get a decent fee for him then the financial necessity to sell Zubimendi will be even lower.”
Can the midfielder be a success in the EPL?
Martin Zubimendi is primarily a defensive midfielder and so far, he’s played 188 games for Real Sociedad’s senior side. Last campaign, he was one of the best CDMs in the La Liga, making 37 key interceptions along with 169 recovery runs. He was dribbled past just 19 times and he committed only 36 fouls.
He’s been a mainstay for Real Sociedad for the previous three seasons and his defensive stats from last campaign are pretty comparable to that of Declan Rice who was one of the best midfielders in England last time around. We strongly believe that if Martin Zubimendi can adjust to life in the English Premier League then the 25-year-old has everything in his locker to succeed and shine.
