Club won’t give up on talented £53m-rated Barcelona target

With the January transfer window just around the corner, and Arsenal still sitting top of the pile in the English Premier League, it would be a perfect time for Mikel Arteta to strengthen the Gunners further.

The Spaniard will surely want to ensure that what happened in the latter half of last season doesn’t occur again, and to that end, picking up players for key positions is a must.

If injuries begin to bite, any transfer groundwork done in January begins to look like very good business indeed.

According to football.london, Arteta still wants to strengthen his midfield options despite having signed Declan Rice for a club record fee in the summer.

One player that they are keeping tabs on, though it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to procure him in the first month of the new year, is Real Sociedad’s excellent Martin Zubimendi.

The outlet also note Barcelona’s long-standing interest in a player that manager, Xavi, is believed to admire.

Both clubs might well be out of luck, however.

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To this point Zubimendi has steadfastly refused to leave La Real, and that stance would appear to remain.

If his £53m release clause is met, however, there’s little that the club can do from that point, and any transfer away strictly comes down to the will of the player.

Arsenal aren’t giving up, but may find this one difficult to get over the line.