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Martin Zubimendi doubt has Arsenal eyeing Brazilian duo

By on April 27, 2024

Martin Zubimendi Real Sociedad

Arsenal are eyeing Douglas Luiz and Bruno Guimaraes amid concerns top target Martin Zubimendi is reluctant to leave Real Sociedad this summer, according to the Evening Standard.

Mikel Arteta is expected to strengthen his engine room this summer and Arsenal are targeting at least one new midfielder with Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey all tipped to leave.

Jorginho’s contract expires in June and he’s been strongly linked with a return to Italy, Elneny is set to leave at the end of the season while Partey is approaching the final year of his contract and could be heading to Saudi Arabia.

Arsenal are lining-up replacements and the Evening Standard suggests that Zubimendi is Arteta prime target having held a long standing interest in the Spaniard.

The 25-year-old has a £51m release clause so wouldn’t break the bank, however, the report says there are growing concerns that Zubimendi is reluctant to leave his boyhood club.

If he was to leave Sociedad, the newspaper says Zubimendi was expected to follow idol Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich if he took over the German giants. But now Alonso has opted to remain at Leverkusen, there is a feeling Zubimendi may decide to stay at Sociedad.

Options

With concerns growing over their pursuit of their main target, the Evening Standard says Arsenal are eyeing Douglas Luiz and Bruno Guimaraes as alternatives.

Newcastle may have to cash-in on Guimaraes in order to comply with FFP and avoid breaching Premier League PSR rules. He has a £100m release clause which is active until mid-June so Arsenal would need to act fast if they want to get a deal done.

Luiz has long been on Arsenal’s radar but a move for the Brazilian could prove difficult as Aston Villa are experiencing a resurgence and could qualify for the Champions League next season.

If Zubimendi does turn down the chance to join Arsenal, then Guimaraes may be the ‘easiest’ deal to do due to his release clause. However, he’d be twice the price of Zubimendi, which would impact Arteta’s plans to strengthen other areas of the squad.

It’s going to be interesting to see how things develop over the coming months as Arsenal look to build a squad capable of competing on all fronts next season.