Real Sociedad are confident that they will retain Martin Zubimendi beyond the January window amid serious interest from Arsenal and other Premier League biggies.
The midfielder has been ever present for the La Liga side. He has played nearly all the games for them and only missed a few ones due to yellow card suspensions. His consistent performances in La Liga and his brave display in Spain’s Euros 2024 winning campaign have lined up suitors.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City have placed him at the tip of their transfer wish list. But now they have been hit with a huge blow in their pursuit of targeting him in January.
ARSENAL TARGER ZUBIMENDI WILL REJECT JANUARY TRANSFER CALLS
La Real’s sporting director Roberto Olabe has talked about the rumours surrounding the Spanish star, and he sounded confident about the club’s chances of keeping hold of the most sought-after midfielder.
As quoted by Estadio Deportivo, the director said:
“There’s little peace of mind about the clauses, but throughout this time Martín himself has shown us that above the clauses are the will. So far, we have seen how he has behaved, I don’t foresee any scares in January.”
🚨🇪🇸 Real Sociedad director Olabe: “Zubimendi has a release clause, yes… but it’s always the player to decide and he’s been showing how committed he is to our project”.
“So far, we’ve seen how he has behaved and I don’t predict any ‘scares’ in January for Zubimendi to leave”. pic.twitter.com/1IRozdmdXv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 23, 2024
Last month, the youngster himself said that he will handle the January links. He does have a release clause in his contract, but that will make very little sense since both the player and the club share the same interest.
The La Real academy graduate’s loyalty towards the club is evident by his recent actions.The Gunners will be prepared to sign him for the proposed €60 million (£50.1 million) asking price via a long-term payment in case they get a positive reply from the other side. The release clause can be technically activated by the player. This puts all the power in Zubimendi’s hands.
But since he won’t push for a move in the upcoming months, we don’t expect any surprises right now. Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino have played well this campaign, but the North London outfit needs to look into the future.
Partey has already been linked with several European clubs. The club might decide to cash in on him next year and target a fresh addition as per manager Mikel Arteta’s preference. Zubimendi has the physical attributes to succeed in the Premier League.
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The manager shares the same agent as the Sociedad star, which could boost Arsenal’s chances of signing him in the future. As things stand, it remains to be seen whether the La Liga ace changes his stance in the upcoming months.
