Exclusive: Arsenal & Liverpool ready to bid £50m for star as he’s cleared for January transfer | OneFootball

Arsenal and Liverpool are both ready to try offering around £50million for the potential January transfer of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Real Sociedad are now ready to listen to offers for Zubimendi this January, though the Spain international’s asking price is likely to be closer to £60m.

Arsenal and Liverpool were both interested in Zubimendi in the summer and look ready to move for him again this winter, while Manchester City could also be one to watch as they’re considering a move to replace the injured Rodri in the middle of the park.

Zubimendi has shown great quality during his time at Sociedad and seems like an ideal signing to fill that gap left by Rodri in Pep Guardiola’s side.

Martin Zubimendi celebrates a goal for Spain (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)

However, some sources indicate that the feeling for now is that Arsenal and Liverpool would be ahead of City in the race for the 25-year-old’s signature.

What next for Martin Zubimendi after summer transfer saga?

Zubimendi dominated headlines for much of the summer as he looked certain to earn himself a big move away from Sociedad, though it didn’t happen on that occasion.

Arsenal instead signed his former teammate Mikel Merino to bolster their options in midfield, but the Gunners could arguably still do with another new addition in that area of the pitch.

Both Thomas Partey and Jorginho are heading towards the ends of their contracts, and Mikel Arteta will surely need to address that with a midfield signing soon.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have made a great start to the season but might be keen to try again for Zubimendi after missing out in the summer.

For now, Ryan Gravenberch has really upped his game in Arne Slot’s midfield, but there could still be room for Zubimendi as a possible upgrade on the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo.