Real Madrid is said to have made the final decision about whether to pursue Real Sociedad’s star Martin Zubimendi in this summer transfer window, and it seems that their priority has changed.
The Spanish giant is facing a busy summer with important personnel changes, not only in the squad but also on the bench.
The future of coach Carlo Ancelotti at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu became fragile after the unpleasant results in La Liga and being eliminated early from the UEFA Champions League, with many rumors that the Y strategist will leave in June.
Xabi Alonso emerged as a leading candidate instead, and it was reported that Zubimendi was Alonso’s priority target if he was appointed. President Florentino Perez is also supposed to be willing to spend strongly to rebuild the squad, and Zubimendi with the provision of a 60 million euro contract release at Real Sociedad was once a considered name.
Meanwhile, Arsenal has shown strong attention to this Basque midfielder. After Zubimendi refused to move to Liverpool last summer, coach Mikel Arteta of the Gunners was said to want to recruit him. It is even if Arsenal is targeting a “double” from Basque, with Athletic Club’s Nico Williams star Nica.
Previous reports show that Zubimendi is somewhat more inclined to Madrid than North London, despite the uncertainty of Ancelotti’s future.
However, according to the latest information from Ok Diario, Real Madrid decided not to make an official offer to Zubimendi.
Instead, Los Blancos will focus resources on strengthening other positions in the squad, especially the defense. This is considered an important area to be enhanced whether Ancelotti stays or a new coach like Alonso comes.
Although Zubimendi has shown the excellent performance in the Real Sociedad shirt for the past 12 months, the Real Madrid leadership believes that they have had all the quality plans in the middle and prioritize the budget for the defense. The move is also somewhat evidenced by rumors of defender Trent Alexander Arnold of Liverpool about to be completed to move to Madrid in a free form.
