Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Martin Zubimendi (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images, Angel Martinez/Getty Images, Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Arsenal look to have already sewn up their first signing of the summer, but there is now a chance that said deal falls through due to the emergence of Real Madrid.
It’s set to be a big summer for Arsenal, who are aiming to bounce back after a third successive second-place finish in the Premier League. A new striker and left winger are wanted by Mikel Arteta, who is also pushing to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, his hometown club.
It has been taken for granted that Arsenal will sign Zubimendi, with a deal expected to be finalised in the coming weeks. But there is a now a chance that a deal does not come to fruition.
Real Madrid preparing last-ditch move for Martin Zubimendi
As reported by Diario AS (via Football España), Real Madrid have not given up hope of signing Zubimendi, and soon, they will re-enter into negotiations with Real Sociedad in the hopes of striking an agreement.
Arsenal do not need to agree a deal with the La Liga side, as they are preparing to trigger Zubimendi’s €60m release clause. Real Madrid do not want to reach this amount, which is why they are hoping to agree a reduced fee in exchange for the Basque club taking one or two of their players on zero-cost loans.
The report states that Zubimendi would prefer to remain in Spain, which gives Real Madrid a significant advantage. However, that could be lost given that they are not prepared to pay the Spain midfielder as much as Arsenal have promised him.
It remains to be seen where Zubimendi ends up by the end of the summer. Nerves could be growing among Arsenal supporters, but for now, he is still expected to move to north London.
