Real Madrid Renew Interest in Zubimendi as Arsenal Stands Firm

Real Madrid thought they had missed their chance with Martin Zubimendi. They tried to hijack his move to Arsenal last summer and arrived too late. Now, a year on, they are back at the door.

football.london understands that Madrid have renewed their interest in the 27-year-old midfielder, who has quickly become one of Mikel Arteta’s reference points in the centre of the pitch. Arsenal, for their part, have no intention of selling. Arteta wants him in his squad this season. But in modern football, every player has a price, and Madrid know it.

This is not a simple pursuit. Inside the Santiago Bernabéu, senior figures are not fully aligned on the idea of going all in for Zubimendi, whose Arsenal contract runs until June 2030. Some see a ready-made controller for the next phase of their midfield rebuild. Others are less convinced about committing a huge fee to a player signed by Arsenal only last year.

Arsenal moved decisively then. They saw off interest from Liverpool and Madrid to land the Spain international from Real Sociedad, paying a little over £51 million to prise him from San Sebastián. By the time Madrid tried to muscle in, the deal was already done.

In June 2025, football.london revealed that Los Blancos had come late to the race, registering their interest three months after Arsenal had fully agreed terms. The London club had tracked Zubimendi for a long time, even weighing up a double move in the summer of 2024 when they also brought in Mikel Merino. Real Sociedad refused to lose both pillars in one window, so Arsenal played the long game.

They kept the relationship with La Real warm, stayed in contact, waited. A year later, they went back and finished the job.

When Arteta finally got his man, he did not hide what he thought he had secured. Zubimendi, he said at the time, was a “key player” in the making.

“Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team,” Arteta said. “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.”

Arsenal’s hierarchy were just as bullish. Andrea Berta called the deal a source of “a lot of pride”, describing Zubimendi as a “key target” and “a perfect fit” for the squad. It was the sort of language that tells you a club is building around a player, not preparing to cash in on him.

Zubimendi felt the same pull. “This is a huge moment in my career,” he said on arrival. “It’s the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.

“I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently, and the best is yet to come.”

On the pitch, he backed up that conviction. In his debut season he featured 57 times across all competitions, scoring six goals and adding three assists. The numbers only tell part of the story, but they underline his importance: Arteta leaned on him heavily.

The campaign did not finish perfectly for him. Zubimendi lost his place in the starting XI towards the end of the season, a reminder of the competition and standards inside this Arsenal squad. Yet his contribution across the year helped deliver something seismic – a first Premier League title in over 20 years and a run all the way to the Champions League final.

That is the context Madrid are walking into now. They are not trying to free an unhappy player from a struggling side. They are trying to tempt a cornerstone out of a project that has just broken England’s longest-standing duopoly and gone within touching distance of Europe’s biggest prize.

Real Madrid rarely ask twice. They have now. The question is whether Arsenal’s resolve, and Zubimendi’s own ambitions in north London, can withstand the pull of the Bernabéu a second time.