Real Madrid Pursue Martin Zubimendi Again After Arsenal Deal
Real Madrid are back for Martin Zubimendi. They missed him once. They do not intend to watch quietly this time.
The Spanish giants have renewed their interest in the Arsenal midfielder, football.london understands, a year after failing in an attempt to hijack his move from Real Sociedad to north London. Arsenal’s stance is clear: Mikel Arteta wants him, and the club do not plan to sell. But in modern football, even a “key player” has a price.
Madrid divided, Arsenal unmoved
Zubimendi, 27, is tied to the Emirates until June 2030, a contract that gives Arsenal enormous leverage at the negotiating table. Inside the Santiago Bernabéu, though, the debate has already started. Senior figures are not fully aligned on whether to push for the Spain international, despite his long-standing admirers within the club.
They know what they missed. Arsenal paid just over £51 million to prise Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, winning a race that included Liverpool and Real Madrid. By the time Madrid formally registered their interest, as reported in June 2025, Arsenal had already shaken hands on a deal that had been effectively sealed for three months. Los Blancos arrived late, and they left empty-handed.
This was no impulse buy from Arsenal. Zubimendi had been on their radar long before he pulled on the red shirt. The club weighed up a move in the summer of 2024, when they were also circling his then-team-mate Mikel Merino. Real Sociedad, wary of ripping the spine out of their side in one window, refused to lose both. Arsenal backed off, kept the relationship warm, and waited.
When they came back, they didn’t miss.
Arteta’s “key player”
Arteta’s excitement when the deal finally went through was unmistakable. He called Zubimendi a “key player” and spoke of his “quality and football intelligence”, convinced the midfielder would slide naturally into Arsenal’s evolving structure.
“Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team,” Arteta said at the time. “He will fit in really well, and he has all the attributes to be a key player for us.
“The standard he has consistently performed at over the last few seasons for both club and country is exactly why we are so excited to have him with us. We all welcome Martin and his family to the club.”
Behind the scenes, Arsenal’s hierarchy felt the same. Sporting director Andrea Berta described him as a “key target” and “a perfect fit” for the squad, underlining how long and how hard the club had pushed to get the deal over the line.
“We are so happy to bring Martin to Arsenal and have a lot of pride in finalising this transfer,” Berta said. “Martin was a key target for us and we all know that he is a perfect fit for our squad with the high quality he has.
“We welcome Martin and his family to the club. We look forward to him settling in with his teammates and are very excited to see him playing in an Arsenal shirt.”
Zubimendi, too, knew exactly what he wanted. He had chosen Arsenal, and he made no attempt to hide it.
“This is a huge moment in my career,” he said. “It’s the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.
“I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently, and the best is yet to come.”
A title, a wobble, and a new test
On the pitch, his first season in England was a study in both endurance and adaptation. Zubimendi played 57 times in all competitions, chipping in with six goals and three assists from midfield. For a player arriving from La Liga into the intensity of a Premier League title race, those numbers speak to trust as much as talent.
The story was not flawless. His form dipped late in the campaign, and he eventually lost his place in the starting XI. Yet by then, the foundations were laid. Arsenal ended a 20-year wait to win the Premier League and reached the Champions League final. Zubimendi had helped drag them there, even if he watched some of the closing scenes from the bench.
That combination – a long contract, a proven role in a title-winning side, and a player still with room to grow – is exactly what makes this pursuit complicated for Madrid. Arsenal do not need to sell. Arteta does not want to sell. Madrid are not even united on whether to go all in.
But they came once and left with nothing. They have come again.
If Real Madrid decide Zubimendi is the midfielder to anchor their next era, the real question is no longer whether they admire him. It is how high they are willing to climb to test just how “not for sale” a Premier League champion really is.
