Arsenal’s £60m midfielder is ready to consider leaving in January after a season on the fringes, but Mikel Arteta does not want to let him go, and his display in Prague on Wednesday made the case for keeping him.
According to TEAMtalk, Martín Zubimendi is prepared to look at an exit when the transfer window opens, and seven of Europe’s biggest clubs have been told about his situation.
The 27-year-old Spain international joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in a £60m deal in 2025 and arrived as a first-choice option. This season he is yet to start a Premier League game, with only around 100 minutes from six appearances off the bench.
Why is Zubimendi ready to leave Arsenal?
Minutes, more than anything. Zubimendi has slipped down Arteta’s pecking order over the last 12 months. Myles Lewis-Skelly was promoted ahead of him last season, and the arrival of Bruno Guimarães in the summer made the competition even tougher next to Declan Rice.
The priority for the player is said to be getting his career back on track. Arsenal are aware of how he feels and are preparing for interest in a player they signed only recently, with a loan one of the options they could look at. Any deal would have to work for the club as well, given the size of the fee they paid.
Which clubs know Zubimendi could be available?
The list is long. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have all shown interest in taking him back to Spain. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been told he could look for a January move, while Chelsea and Liverpool have also been made aware, though Liverpool are seen as less likely to act.
Arteta’s verdict: not in January
Arsenal’s view is very different. Reports in Spain say Arteta is reluctant to let Zubimendi leave in January because he is wary that injuries could leave him short in midfield during the run-in.
It is the same thinking reported over Piero Hincapié. Barcelona have made contact about the Ecuadorian defender, but Arteta is said not to want to reduce his options with a squad that has to compete on several fronts. If Arsenal do business in January, it is more likely to be a left winger or a striker coming in, and they have been tracking Atlético Madrid’s Spain winger Alex Baena.
Did Prague change the Zubimendi transfer picture?
It should have. Zubimendi made a rare start in the 2-1 win over Slavia Prague on Wednesday, next to Rice, and he was one of Arsenal’s best players. He won eight of his ten duels, passed with real purpose and helped get Arsenal moving in a first half they controlled.
We gave him an 8 in our Arsenal player ratings vs Slavia Prague, behind only Viktor Gyökeres. It was a reminder of the player Arsenal paid £60m for, and it came a day after the stories about his future broke.
What a Zubimendi exit would mean for Arsenal
Selling him would cut Arteta’s options in the middle of the pitch to Rice, Guimarães, Lewis-Skelly and Mikel Merino for the second half of a season in which Arsenal are top of the Premier League and still in the Champions League. One injury and that group starts to look thin very quickly.
Will Zubimendi leave Arsenal in January?
We don’t think he should, and we don’t think Arteta will allow it. A player with 30 Spain caps and 67 games for the club does not become a bad signing in a few months, and Prague showed he can still run a game at this level.
The better answer is more minutes, starting at home to Hull City on Saturday. If Zubimendi is still on the bench by the end of the season, a move becomes a fair conversation in the summer. Selling him in January, with the title race and the Champions League in full swing, would be a risk Arsenal do not need to take.
