Arsenal to seal deal for transfer of Martin Zubimendi by paying fee in excess of his £51 million release clause: Reports

Arsenal have secured the services of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi by agreeing to pay more than his £51m release clause, according to The Daily Star. The Gunners have been locked in talks for a while for the Spaniard, and were also ready to trigger his release clause.

However, the entry of Real Madrid in the race, as well as the player's reluctance to leave the Reale Arena, briefly complicated matters. The north London side have finally managed to get the deal across the line.

However, Arsenal have decided against triggering the player's release clause, and will instead pay £55m for the 26-year-old. The payment will be made in instalments over several years and enable the Gunners to concentrate on other targets as well.

The north London side are looking to add more quality to their roster after another trophyless season under Mikel Arteta. Despite splashing the cash on Declan Rice and Mikel Merino in recent years, Arsenal believe that they need more options in midfield.

Jorginho has left the club as a free agent, while Thomas Partey's future remains up in the air. The Gunners have been hot on Zubimendi's trail for a while and believe that he is the right candidate for the job.

The Spanish midfielder has been outstanding for Real Sociedad over the years. This season, he registered two goals and two assists from 48 games across competitions for the LaLiga club.

Are Arsenal working to sign Benjamin Sesko this summer?

Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Benjamin Sesko ahead of a move this summer, according to Caught Offside. The Gunners are looking for a new striker this year after faltering in the Premier League title race for the third season in a row.

Mikel Arteta's team finished second behind Liverpool in the league table, and the Spanish manager is eager to bridge the gap next season. The north London side currently have Gabriel Jesus for the No. 9 role, while Arteta has used Kai Havertz in that position extensively of late.

Arsenal, though, have identified Sesko as an upgrade for the position, and have now convinced him to move to the Emirates. However, RB Leipzig will only let him go once his €80m release clause is triggered.

The Gunners are locked in talks with their Bundesliga counterparts to script a deal for a lesser fee. While no breakthrough has been reached yet, there's a belief that the transfer will materialize.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee