Arsenal initially showed interest in Martin Zubimendi, the talented Real Sociedad midfielder, before shifting their attention to his teammate, Mikel Merino, this year. Real Sociedad has a reputation for developing exceptional football talents, particularly in midfield, and both Zubimendi and Merino have been instrumental in the club’s recent success, including their qualification for the Champions League last season.

Their performances also contributed to Spain’s Euro 2024 victory in Germany, further raising their profiles. Arsenal has made Merino a key target, while Liverpool has been actively pursuing Zubimendi.

Despite earlier reports suggesting that Arsenal had an interest in Zubimendi, Fabrizio Romano has clarified that Arsenal did not approach Real Sociedad for Zubimendi this summer. Instead, their focus has been solely on securing Mikel Merino. This indicates that Arsenal’s priority in strengthening their midfield lies with Merino, leaving Liverpool to pursue Zubimendi without competition from the Gunners.

Romano said, as quoted by The Sun:

“Many clubs tried to convince Martin Zubimendi in the last couple of years – Barcelona, Bayern, Arsenal, many clubs spoke to the player, he wasn’t keen on the move.

“It’s important to clarify that Arsenal were never negotiating for Zubimendi this summer.”

Just Arsenal Opinion

Merino and Zubimendi are two top midfielders, but we certainly cannot sign both in the same transfer window, so we opted for Merino, who is cheaper and just as effective.

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