Arsenal and Liverpool suffer a major blow in their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi as he prefers joining Spanish giants Real Madrid.
According to a report from TBR, Spanish defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi has his heart set on a move to Real Madrid. The Real Sociedad star is on the wishlist of Arsenal as well as Liverpool. Both Premier League outfits are willing to do everything in their power to sign him but he wants to join Los Blancos.
Zubimendi has come up the ranks at Sociedad and has been one of their mainstays since getting promoted to the first team. He had an exceptional season last time out for both club and country. After an impressive campaign with the Spanish club, he played a part in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024.
Arsenal and Liverpool remain keen on Zubimendi
There was a significant amount of interest in the 25-year-old midfielder’s services during the summer. Arsenal and Liverpool were both linked with Zubimendi. The Gunners who signed the Spanish star’s former teammate Mikel Merino to take up the number eight role also want to have the defensive midfielder in their ranks.
They see him as an ideal long-term replacement for Thomas Partey who is unlikely to be around for long. They did hold talks to sign him but couldn’t make anything out of it.
Liverpool tried even harder, the Reds were involved in long-drawn negotiations with the player. But, they couldn’t convince him to move to England.
The Merseyside club wanted to sign a new defensive midfielder. It was a top priority for the club as they wanted to move on from Wataru Endo who was brought to the club in the summer of 2023 as a stop-gap signing.
While they did try their best to lure Zubimendi to Anfield, things didn’t go according to plan. The 25-year-old turned down the opportunity in favour of staying at his childhood club. Arsenal and Liverpool might have failed in the summer but the duo retain interest in him.
Zubimendi wants to join Real Madrid
But, they have received a blow as the Spanish international seems keen on joining Real Madrid. He wants to join the European giants who have been following him for a while now.
The team in white see him as an ideal replacement for Luka Modric. The Croatian is expected to leave the club at the end of the season and Zubimendi could come in to help fill his big boots.
