Arsenal have won the race to sign Martin Zubimendi after the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel revealed an agreement has virtually been closed with Real Sociedad to bring the Liverpool target to Emirates Stadium, with the timeline of the deal and the costs involved also coming to light.
The Spain star was followed closely by Liverpool last summer as the Reds looked to make the Real Sociedad man the first signing of the Arne Slot era on Merseyside. But despite agreeing to activate his €60m (£51m) exit clause and having agreed personal terms with the player over the switch, an 11th-hour change of heart saw the move break down.
However, although Zubimendi remains with his club for the season, the hypothesis about his long career has more back in recent weeks, when it is claimed that he remains on the Reds’ radar, while being under the surveillance of Manchester City as they seek to update ACL-Rodri, victim of injuries.
But Mokbel, writing in the Daily Mail, says the two Premier Leagues have now been beaten by Arsenal, who have reached an agreement with Sociedad for his signature.
He writes that Arsenal have moved to trigger his £51m exit clause, and with negotiations now at an advanced stage, sources have indicated that the deal is virtually completed.
He claims that the head of the gunners, Mikel Arteta, had sought the move for Zubimfinishi, but forced to put the move on the back foot with the bosses of the Society, which makes it transparent to the player that, although they would not or could not, in his way, his preference would be for the move to happen at the end of the season. As a result, Zubimfinishdi agreed to honor this wish.
The news of Zubimendi’s operation to sign for Arsenal was temporarily subsidized through Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein.
Transfer journalist Romano posted on his X page: ‘Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Martin Zubimendi for summer 2025. Negotiations underway with player side as positive talks took place behind the scenes, as revealed by @SamiMokbel81_DM. Final key steps still needed. Arsenal plan to trigger €60m release clause.’
This was temporarily supported via David Ornstein, who also took over control of X to write: “Arsenal proceeded to the agreement to appoint Martin Zumbimenddi from the Royal Royal Society. #AFC runs on the 25-year-old midfielder next summer for an abundant era a long-term prosecution reignited Mikel Merino’s recruitment procedure @Theathleticfc after @samimokbel81_dm’
Despite the now obvious desire of the Arsenal to sign a new striker this month after the serious injury of Gabriel Jesus’s anterior ligament, Arteta had also sought to strengthen its characteristics in the midfield in the second part of the season.
And with his interest in Zubimendi for a few seasons now, it turns out that Arteta now has his man.
The measure ends a long saga in which Zubimendi was strongly related to a step to the Premier League.
At the time of the collapse of his move to Anfield, it was suggested that the 25-year-old Euro 2024 winner was not ready to leave his hometown team and the club he represented as a boy.
Since then, they have asked him several times if he regrets this decision to reject Slot and Co, to which he responded to the newspaper El Diario Vasco: “I went on vacation and took me by surprise. I had not planned it. ” I reacted when the stage arose.
“It’s an awkward time for me, but I weighed the pros and cons and concluded that the most productive option was to stay.
“I don’t believe in ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunities. If you’re good and want to achieve something, it will come to you. There’s no need to rush.
“I looked at my personal evolution, who I am and the club’s project. I stayed because I knew that this season would be vital for me in the team and I still had steps to take. It’s not that complicated. ” Decision There were many reasons for my decision, but I was self-centered and had ideas about what was most productive for me: staying.
Arteta has yet to comment on claims that a deal is being reached for Zubimendi, but admitted he expects his side after Sunday’s FA Cup to face Manchester United.
“We are actively looking for the market for the team. It’s been like that from day one.
“It would be naïve not to do that. This is an opportunity for the team. We are searching. We tried. Let’s see what we can do.
Meanwhile, the Gunners remain more on our minds than ever to signal a new striker this month after a more serious than expected injury to Gabriel Jesus, and with the Gunners they noted a blatant opening opening for Dusan Vlahovic’s failure.
And as Ornstein has shown that Jesus “is now prepared for a long period due to an alleged breakage of the anterior cross ligament (LCA); it was his left knee instead of the right, in which he was operated in 2022,” Arteta has intensified Your plans to point out a replacement.
However, his opening technique for Juventus star Vlahovic failed, the Bianconeri Award was revealed.
More ambitiously, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney says the Gunners could relaunch their mission to sign Viktor Gyokeres this month.
Elsewhere, Arteta saw a late attempt to beat Manchester United fail by signing a Paraguayan star, with the teenage star now set to complete his move to Old Trafford.