6 months ago
34 Arsenal have shifted their focus from signing Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
After it was revealed that they would find it difficult to complete a deal for the Spanish midfielder, the Gunners turned their attention to Bruno Guimaraes and Douglas Luiz.
The Evening Standard claims that Zubimendi has been on the Gunners’ radar for a while and that they intend to buy at least one midfield player this summer.
According to the source, despite Bayern Munich and Barcelona’s interest, the 25-year-old has been hesitant to leave his childhood club.
If the deal falls through, Mikel Arteta’s team may try to target Guimaraes from Newcastle United and Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.
Zubimendi was keen to play under Xabi Alonso, who was his manager at Real Sociedad B.
The midfielder would have left the La Liga club to join Bayern Munich, had Alonso left Bayer Leverkusen to join the German giants.
Arsenal have set their sights on Bruno Guimaraes and Douglas Luiz.
But Alonso decided to stay with the Bundesliga winners and now it is unclear what the future holds for Zubimendi.
Arsenal are getting ready to make major changes to their midfield for the upcoming season.
Mohamed Elneny, 31, and Jorginho, 32, are both out of contract this summer, while Thomas Partey, 30, has one year remaining on his contract.
The Gunner signed Declan Rice last summer in a £100 million move, and if they are keen to sign Guimaraes or Luiz, they would have to pay a similar fee.
Arsenal are prepared to be active in the window
Apart from signing a midfielder, the Gunners are looking to add a striker and they have their eyes on Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal could also target a new left-back in the summer transfer window as they feel it is an area that needs attention.
Arteta is set to oversee a busy summer at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners aim to strengthen further to topple the dominance of Manchester City.
