BREAKING NEWS: I wanted to join Arsenal but Merino reveals some Arsenal secret to me during international training of which I changed my mind immediately from joining”, Zubimendi reveals what Merino told Him before changing His mind to join Real Madrid

Arsenal will look to spend big in the summer transfer window, which could see them finally win the Premier League after three unsuccessful seasons of battling both Liverpool and Manchester City for the title – and Fabrizio Romano has given an update on their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi to GIVEMESPORT’s ‘Market Madness’ podcast, by stating that the Gunners are still ‘working’ on a deal, despite interest from Real Madrid.

Zubimendi has been strongly linked to the Emirates Stadium for some time, but reports earlier in the campaign suggested that the Gunners were finally looking to crack down on the midfielder’s addition to the club by landing him from Real Sociedad. Sources earlier stated that new sporting director Berta could look to spend up to £300million in the summer, and Zubimendi could be the start of that – with Romano stating that the Gunners’ conversations to land the midfielder are still ‘ongoing’.

in the summer

Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT’s ‘Market Madness’ podcast, the Italian journalist stated that Real’s interest could see them land him if they bring Xabi Alonso in as manager from Bayer Leverkusen – but for now, Arsenal are still working on a deal. He said:

“”The conversation is ongoing for Zubimendi and Arsenal. Then we know what happened one year ago with Liverpool, he had a possibility to go to Liverpool, and he decided to stay at Real Sociedad.

“So Arsenal are [being] very careful until the end of the story, but they remain interested in the player. And then there are these links about Real Madrid. I think these links are because of Xabi Alonso.

“Xabi Alonso is a big fan of Zubimendi. One year ago when Alonso was close to joining Bayern and then he decided to stay at Leverkusen, he already told Bayern at some point about his appreciation for Zubimendi.

“So imagining how much he likes the player, I think this is why we have many rumours about Real Madrid – because eventually, if Alonso will be the new Real Madrid coach, that could be a possibility. But at this stage, Arsenal are still working on the deal.”

Zubimendi made his debut for Sociedad in the 2018/19 campaign, but it was only in the 2020/21 season that he became a regular first-team fixture in La Liga – and he hasn’t looked back since with some stellar displays

226 appearances for the Anoeta outfit have seen Zubimendi become one of the most consistent midfielders in La Liga, and that has resulted in him becoming a regular Spain international by marking his 17th cap in the 3-3 (4-3) penalty shootout win over the Netherlands on Sunday evening.

He’s been linked with moves to Manchester City and Liverpool in the past, and having won the Copa del Rey in 2020 alongside winning EURO 2024 with Spain in the summer, Zubimendi will likely be sought-after in the summer.