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Real Madrid face two significant barriers in their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi: a €90 million asking price and direct competition from Chelsea, according to Mundo Deportivo. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has also weighed in, clarifying that Arsenal have no intention of moving the Spain international on.
Zubimendi’s future at Arsenal has attracted speculation following the club’s £75 million acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United. Guimaraes is expected to slot alongside Declan Rice in central midfield, which raises questions about where Zubimendi fits, particularly with Myles Lewis-Skelly also capable of operating in that zone.
Barcelona-leaning outlet Mundo Deportivo reports that Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is pushing to sign Zubimendi. Alonso had previously pushed for Madrid to sign the midfielder last summer when Zubimendi was still at Real Sociedad, but Los Blancos moved too slowly and the player committed to Arsenal instead.
“Real Madrid has the chance to try again, although they will face two main obstacles: Arsenal won’t sell him for less than €90 million (more than they would have paid for Rodri), and Chelsea is a tough competitor for his services. In fact, Xabi Alonso was the one who wanted him for Real Madrid a year ago, and now he’s pushing for him at Chelsea.”
Madrid’s interest has been rekindled under Jose Mourinho, with Rodri now appearing set to join Barcelona despite Los Blancos’ pursuit. Zubimendi, who won the 2026 World Cup with Spain this summer, represents a credible replacement profile, but the €90 million valuation — exceeding what Madrid would have paid for Rodri — makes any deal complicated.
On August 1, Romano moved to shut down any suggestion that the Guimaraes signing signals Zubimendi’s exit.
“Let me clarify something. I saw something on social media, people saying that I said that Bruno was to upgrade Zubimendi or Bruno was to replace Zubimendi. That’s not the case. I never mentioned Zubimendi in any of my videos this summer. Zubimendi is absolutely highly rated and respected at Arsenal. So, there is no connection at all. They are also different players, so nothing about Zubimendi, this is about Bruno Guimaraes and Arsenal advancing very, very well.”
Read also: Mourinho Furious as Rodri Picks Barcelona Over Real Madrid
Arsenal’s position, at least according to Romano, is that Zubimendi remains a core part of their plans regardless of the Guimaraes deal. Whether Madrid and Chelsea‘s interest intensifies enough to force a change in that stance remains the central question heading into the rest of the transfer window. Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of this situation and all major transfer developments.