-Credit:2024 Ion Alcoba Beitia
Arsenal is close to sealing a January transfer for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, although he may not join until the summer. The deal is “virtually completed”.
That’s according to the Daily Mail. It comes after Liverpool pursued Zubimendi in the summer to no avail, and amid links to Manchester City as well.
It originally seemed like Zubimendi was bound for Anfield, where he would have become the first signing of the Arne Slot era. But the player ultimately elected to stay at Real Sociedad — though it appears he is now ready to make a Premier League switch at last.
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Arsenal is seeking to keep pace with Liverpool in the Premier League title race. Its biggest problems appear to be up front, where Gabriel Jesus just became the latest long-term absentee, but Zubimendi would undoubtedly be a quality addition.
Mikel Arteta, once a player for Real Sociedad himself, has coveted Zubimendi for more than a year. He would like to add the midfielder in January, but the Basque club appears insistent on keeping him for the remainder of the campaign.
As such, this deal would be made with an eye beyond the current season for Arsenal. Jorginho and Thomas Partey are both out of contract in the summer, and Zubimendi would be a brilliant successor.
Martin Zubimendi, now cemented as a Spain international, looks like he is on his way to Arsenal. -Credit:Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Whether Arsenal manages to make any signings that would immediately strenghten the squad remains to be seen. The report claims that a forward will be the next priority, with the club having first focused on getting a deal for Zubimendi over the line.
Arteta has a little over a fortnight to make further additions to his squad. As well as Jesus, who has a suspected ACL rupture, Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri are both also in the treatment room, with the title charge in danger of fizzling out due to a lack of firepower.
Liverpool has endured a slight wobble of its own recently, at least in terms of performance levels, with the defense looking somewhat more vulnerable. But Slot’s first season is continuing to surpass all expectations, with the Reds still looking good on four fronts, albeit needing to overturn a deficit against Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Having failed to sign Zubimendi, Liverpool instead chose to rely on Ryan Gravenberch, who has been a revelation. He, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are all having exceptional individual campaigns in the engine room.
Meanwhile, plenty of Man City’s struggles trace back to the season-ending injury for Rodri. Many assumed that Zubimendi, his replacement for Spain at international level, would be on his way to the Etihad — but it seems Arsenal will complete the coup soon.