Arsenal are ready to trigger the release clause of Martin Zubimendi, per sources with knowledge of their transfer plans, with the north London side leading the race to sign the Real Sociedad midfielder in the summer.
With Thomas Partey and Jorginho due to depart when their contracts expire at the end of June, Arsenal have been laying the groundwork for the acquisition of Zubimendi, whose release clause is understood to be worth $61.4 million (€60 million). Mikel Arteta’s side could have pushed ahead with such a deal this month but Real do not wish to lose one of their best players midway through a season where they are competing for Europe.
Zubimendi has long been admired by Mikel Arteta, as indeed is the case with a host of European managers. Liverpool had agreed a deal with the Basque side to sign their first choice holding midfielder last summer, but were unable to convince the player himself to make the switch to England. Manchester City had also been linked with his services after a season-ending injury to Rodri.
What would Zubimendi bring?
Arteta, however, looks to have swayed Zubimendi, who would join up with former Real Sociedad team mates Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard in north London. Most intriguing of all, however, is what the acquisition of an archetypal ball player at the base of midfield might mean for Declan Rice.
The £105 million man had initially been viewed as the man to hold the fort, but Arteta has increasingly deployed Rice’s dynamism in a more advanced role, not least because the England international has the energy to contribute in one box and catch up with counterattacks in the other.
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It would seem most likely that Zubimendi’s acquisition would move Rice further forward, while offering even greater ball progression qualities in front of William Saliba and Gabriel. It should be noted that Arteta has experimented with more double pivot-oriented midfields this season, more out of necessity than design, and a pairing of Zubimendi and Rice would want for precious little.
The arrival of Zubimendi would certainly prompt further questions over the futures of Jorginho and Partey, neither of whom have been offered extensions by the club, per sources. The former has been linked with a move to Brazil while the suggestion that Partey is in talks with Barcelona over a summer transfer has been dismissed by sources close to the Ghana international.
Between now and Zubimendi’s possible arrival in the summer, Arsenal are working on strengthening an attack further weakened by a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury to Gabriel Jesus. “We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one,” said Arteta ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. “It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.”
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