Arsenal at the front of the queue to sign €60m star ahead of three major European clubs

Arsenal are reportedly leading the race for the transfer of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and AC Milan.

The Spain international has shone in his time in La Liga and it now seems there is plenty of interest in luring him away from his current club at the end of this season.

Still, the latest from Calciomercato is that, despite the likes of Bayern, Juve and Milan also being in the running for Zubimendi, it is Arsenal who are best-placed for the moment, partly due to his expensive release clause, which is set at €60million.

On top of that, the report adds that Zubimendi earns around €4m a year, and it’s generally the case that the Premier League is where most of the money is nowadays.

Arsenal spent big on Declan Rice last summer, but there could be room for further improvements in midfield, with Jorginho not getting any younger, while Thomas Partey has barely played this season due to injuries.

Zubimendi transfer: Where will the Sociedad star end up next?

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside last week, journalist Charles Watts explained the situation with Zubimendi and the past interest from Arsenal.

“I do expect Arsenal to sign a midfielder this summer, but a lot will depend on what happens with the midfielders they currently have,” Watts said in his column.

He added: “Ideally they would like Jorginho to stay, and then they have to sort out Thomas Partey’s future. Partey still has a year left on his deal and, just like last summer, Arsenal would not stand in his way of leaving should a decent offer arrive for the Ghana international.

“Should that happen, then they would have to replace him and Martin Zubimendi is a player they believe can play the Partey role. Mikel Arteta knows Zubimendi well and is a big admirer of the Spain international, but there is uncertainty around whether he actually wants to leave Real Sociedad.

“There is also expected to be strong rival interest in the 25-year-old, so it might not be an easy deal to get done.”