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Arsenal have confirmed the arrival of Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad on a five-year contract. The Spain international, who turned down Liverpool last summer, was heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks despite being understood in March to have a pre-agreement to join Arsenal.
With Mikel Arteta having made the 26-year-old his primary midfield target as Arsenal attempt to bridge the gap after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League, Zubimendi’s signing represents a major boost after the departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey at the end of their contacts last week. Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault – allegations he denies – three days after leaving.
Arsenal are believed to have been searching for midfield replacements since last summer, with Zubimendi emerging as their preferred option thanks to his impressive displays for Real Sociedad and Spain. Their attempts to sign him last summer alongside Mikel Merino – who left Real Sociedad for about £32m – are understood to have been rejected because the Spanish side did not want to lose both players in the same transfer window.
Arsenal were able to secure a pre-agreement in March after continuing talks. The fee is believed to be slightly more than his release clause of £51m after they fought off late interest from Madrid, whose new manager, Xabi Alonso, coached Zubimendi for Real Sociedad’s B side.
“Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” Zubimendi told Arsenal’s website. “It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come.”
Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard is also expected to complete his move to Arsenal after the clubs agreed a deal worth up to £15m, and Arsenal are understood to have discussed personal terms with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and are weighing up whether to bid for the England international.
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Arteta said of Zubimendi: “Martín is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. 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.”
