Martin Zubimendi 'arrives in England' to complete £51m Arsenal move as Andrea Berta faces fresh problem

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has touched down in London to finalise his summer switch to Arsenal, a report has claimed.

The Gunners have been working on a deal for the Euro 2024 winner for several months now; it was stated back in January that Mikel Arteta's side were in pole position to complete a £51m deal.

Zubimendi could have lined up against Arsenal for Liverpool last season, but the 26-year-old had a late change of heart and decided to continue in San Sebastian for another year.

However, the lynchpin ostensibly feels that now is the time to move on, and according to The Athletic, he has landed in the English capital to 'complete the formalities' of his transfer to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal 'regard Zubimendi deal as done' amid Real Madrid threat

Zubimendi will soon undergo his medical before putting pen to paper on a long-term contract in North London, where he could become the Gunners' first signing of the summer window and the Andrea Berta era.

There was momentary talk of Real Madrid attempting to hijack a move for the Spain international, who is thought to be hugely admired by new Blancos manager Xabi Alonso.

However, Arsenal have supposedly long regarded the deal as 'done' amid the threat of a late push from the 15-time European champions, and Mikel Arteta's personal 'drive' for the midfielder is about to pay off.

Zubimendi will bid farewell to Real Sociedad after coming up with 10 goals and nine assists in 236 appearances for the Spanish giants, although his passing and off-ball metrics carry more weight than his attacking statistics.

The 26-year-old turned out 48 times for his boyhood club in the 2024-25 season and made four appearances for Spain en route to Euro 2024 glory, coming on as a half-time substitute for the injured Rodri in the final win against England.

Zubimendi deal imminent, but Arsenal still need one more

The expectation is that Zubimendi will immediately make himself Arsenal's first choice in the number six slot, a role that Thomas Partey has filled to excellent effect over the past three seasons in particular.

However, the Ghana international appears to be edging closer to an exit, as it has been reported that talks over an extension to his contract - which expires on June 30 - are at a complete standstill.

As Arsenal have already waved goodbye to Jorginho, losing both him and Partey while only bringing in Zubimendi would weaken their defensive midfield options for 2024-25, likely necessitating the need for another new face.

Arteta does have a few internal solutions, either trialling Myles Lewis-Skelly or Ben White in that slot, or moving Declan Rice back to the number six role and playing Mikel Merino consistently as the left eight.

The latter scenario is far from ideal given Rice's excellence further forward, though, so Berta now has one more item on his summer shopping list.

Written by
Ben Knapton