‘Completing Formalities’—Arsenal Putting Finishing Touches on €60 Million Transfer | OneFootball

Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martín Zubimendi is putting the finishing touches to his €60 million (£51.7million ; $63.4million) transfer to Arsenal, it has been revealed.

The defensive midfielder was extensively linked with Liverpool last summer, prior to the Reds becoming Premier League champions for the second time, but opted to prolong his stay in Spain following the conclusion of Euro 2024.

Zubimendi's stock has stayed high even though Real Sociedad did not enjoy the best of seasons in La Liga—they came 11th after finishing inside the top six for the previous five campaigns—and he quickly emerged as a target for not only Arsenal but also 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.

However, it was Arsenal who eventually got the nod of approval from Zubimendi, with the north Londoners having worked extensively to get a deal agreed.

The Athletic report that the transfer is now close to being completed. The 26-year-old has arrived in London to meet club officials and is expected to sign a long-term contract at Emirates Stadium.

Zubimendi's arrival comes at a time when Arsenal could be saying goodbye to Thomas Partey, who is out of contract at the end of the month. Talks over a new deal have reached an impasse, making it increasingly likely that the Ghanaian will be leaving for free.

If Partey does depart, he'll follow in the footsteps of fellow midfielder Jorginho, who departed earlier this month to join Flamengo—Arsenal granted the Italy international an early release from his contract so that he could participate in the Club World Cup.

Arsenal intend to keep spending once they've got the signing of Zubimendi over the line, with one of the key focuses being the recruitment of a striker for Mikel Arteta. Benjamin Šeško and Viktor Gyökeres, of RB Leipzig and Sporting CP respectively, have both been strongly linked but will not come cheap.