London giants Chelsea have reportedly registered their interest in Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, a target for Barcelona.
Simon Phillips has told Give Me Sport that Chelsea recently made the first move for Martin Zubimendi. The Blues have registered their interest in the Real Sociedad midfielder, who has a release clause worth £56 million. The Spaniard is also a target for La Liga heavyweights Barcelona.
Martin Zubimendi has gone from strength to strength since breaking into the Real Sociedad first-team squad. The 23-year-old made his first-team debut for La Real a couple of years ago and is now a pivotal figure for the Basque outfit. At the same time, he has broken into the Spanish national squad.
The Spaniard has turned out 115 times thus far for Real Sociedad, chipping in with four goals and four assists. And Zubimendi’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with several European bigwigs keen on signing him. Chelsea and Barcelona are two of his prospective suitors.
Barcelona will look to bring in a long-term successor to Sergio Busquets in the summer transfer window. The veteran midfielder is considering his future at Spotify Camp Nou and might leave next year. So Barcelona will need someone to fill Busquets’s void, bringing Zubimendi into the picture.
But recent reports have claimed that the 23-year-old might not be a viable target for Barcelona. Nonetheless, despite his hefty release clause worth £56 million, the Catalan giants remain interested from afar. However, Chelsea’s emergence in the race to sign the Spanish international might complicate matters for the Blaugrana.
The west London club might lose N’Golo Kante and Jorginho next year. The veteran midfielders are in the final year of their respective contracts. So Chelsea will need to bring in at least one long-term midfield solution. And Zubimendi is an option worth considering for Chelsea. The Blues have now registered their interest in the youngster.
After making the first move, Chelsea might look to accelerate talks, especially if Kante and Jorginho get closer to the exit door. It will be interesting to see if the west Londoners beat Barcelona to the player’s signature next year. They should not have any qualms about shelling out £56 million to sign Zubimendi.
