Last week Arsenal Martin Zubimendi presented as their new star signed in midfield to dominate Declan Rice from August. The real Sociedad Academy product moved a total of € 70 million, despite the interest of Real Madrid, and the presence of Idol Xabi Alonso in the Santiago Bernabeu.
When Real Madrid gets involved, they tend to give a special attraction for players in negotiations, as demonstrated by movements for Jude Bellingham and Dean Huijsen, for whom Chelsea were favorites to sign before Los Blancos conversations started. It was not lost at Real Madrid fans that Zubimendi called the Real Madrid manager as his favorite Spanish player of all time during an interview with Arsenal Club Media after his presentation.
During the second half of the season, Los Blancos was connected to Zubimendi at intervals. When Alonso arrived, it was said that his former B-team coach at La Real insisted on his signature with Real Madrid, and would be personally involved to push Zubimendi to a move to Madrid. However, the hijacking of the deal that Arsenal had never flourished.
According to Cadena Ser, Zubimendi has known that he would move to Arsenal in the past year. The Gunners opened conversations to sign both Mikel Merino and Zubimendi last summer, but with the Txuri-Urdin cautious to lose both in the same summer, sold Merino and made a pact for Zubimendi to move to London this year.
That is why the chances of Real Madrid to intervene were zero, and Zubimendi did not have to be influenced. This is despite the fact that Zubimendi rejected a move to Liverpool around the same time. There have been sounds that the Spain International would consider an exit this summer, after having rejected countless European giants in recent years.