Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano explains why Arsenal & Barcelona transfer target hasn’t moved this summer

Martin Zubimendi was happy to stay at Real Sociedad this summer as he wants to play for the club in the Champions League this season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The transfer news expert has clarified Zubimendi’s situation in his latest CaughtOffside column, explaining that although Barcelona manager Xavi has been a big fan of the Spanish midfielder for some time, there was simply no appetite for a move this year.

Zubimendi has also previously been on Arsenal’s radar, according to Ben Jacobs, but it remains to be seen if the likes of Barca and the Gunners will be back in for him in the future.

Arsenal ended up signing Declan Rice in midfield, so they might not make another major investment in that position again soon, though it is still the case that Thomas Partey and Jorginho are not the youngest, so might not be particularly long-term options.

Discussing Zubimendi’s situation, Romano said: “I’ve had some fans ask me about what happened after links with Martin Zubimendi earlier in the summer. Honestly, it’s very simple: Zubimendi loves Real Sociedad and he wanted to play Champions League football at Real Sociedad.

“He wasn’t attracted by any other possibility. So there were no concrete negotiations. Barca boss Xavi has been a big fan since a long time but Zubimendi always wanted to stay, so there was nothing on this summer.”

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