“Goodbye…”; Midfielder ‘bidding farewell’ to fans as teammates as he reveals his £50m transfer to Arsenal will happen at the end of this season
Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has reportedly ‘chosen’ Arsenal as his time in Spain comes to an end.
The Canaries have been courting the Spanish midfielder for some time, but have never come close to capturing him.
He has been very impressive since breaking into Sociedad’s first team in the 2019/20 season and becoming a first team regular next season.
The defensive midfielder has been at Blåvitt since he was 12 years old and has not been tempted by a move away from the club where he lives until now.
Zubimendi is not the most flashy player in the No. 6 role, but he can be compared to Sergio Busquets. He is obviously not at the same level as Busquets in his prime, but they have a similar style.
The 24-year-old has made 172 appearances for Sociedad – scoring eight goals – and has collected four captaincy titles for Spain.
Zubimendi has recently been linked with a move to Manchester United, but Arsenal appear to be favourites to sign him.
Recently, Spanish newspaper Nacional reported that Zubimendi had “chosen Arsenal”, which is even sweeter given his links to the Red Devils.
The report focuses on the search for a replacement for the 24-year-old Sociedad favourite, who said goodbye to the club before moving to the Premier League.
At the start of the season Zubimendi, who has a €60m (£51m) buyout clause, showed “reluctance to leave” but the situation has “changed” as San Sebastian have “got used to the idea of losing one of their best assets”.
Arsenal are further encouraged by the fact that the midfielder has “rejected” a move to Barcelona.
The Catalan giants are currently “out of the question” and in the hunt for Zubimendi’s signature, the Gunners have been “overtaken” by Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao.
Mikel Arteta, who is willing to pay £51m for a buyout clause, is closing in on acquiring “one of Sociedad’s most valuable assets”.
Zubimendi is unlikely to sign for Arsenal this month. The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules mean that any transfer is only realistic in the summer.
Moreover, the ransom clause must be paid in a lump sum, which is impossible for the Gunners unless they sell one or two players first.
Arteta is also looking for a new striker that he will have to pay a lot of money for.
Ivan Toney from Brentford is on everyone’s lips, but he will cost £100 million if he moves to another club in January.
