Real Madrid Revives Interest in Martin Zubimendi Amid Arsenal's Resolve

Real Madrid thought they had missed their chance with Martin Zubimendi. Arsenal got there first, paid the money, sold the project, and watched him help deliver a first Premier League title in more than two decades.

Now Madrid are back at the door.

The Spanish giants have revived their interest in the 27-year-old midfielder, who only arrived at the Emirates last summer, with senior figures at the Santiago Bernabéu debating whether he should be the next piece in their evolving midfield. Arsenal’s stance is clear: Mikel Arteta wants him to stay, and the club do not intend to sell. But they also know how this game works. Every player has a price.

Madrid’s second attempt

This is not a new love story. Real Madrid tried to hijack Zubimendi’s move from Real Sociedad to Arsenal last year and lost. They were late to the race, registering their interest months after Arsenal had already thrashed out a deal and shaken hands with La Real. By then, the Gunners had done the groundwork and refused to be pushed aside.

Arsenal ended up paying a little over £51million to prise him from San Sebastián, beating off competition from both Liverpool and Madrid. It was a statement signing, not just financially but symbolically: a Spain international in his prime, choosing North London over the Bernabéu.

Inside Madrid, not everyone is convinced this is the moment to correct that mistake. There is no full alignment among the club’s hierarchy over moving for Zubimendi now, with his contract at Arsenal running until June 2030. The length of that deal, the likely fee, and the existing depth in Madrid’s midfield all feed into a debate that is far from settled.

Arsenal’s long courtship

For Arsenal, Zubimendi was not an opportunistic buy. He had been on their radar for some time. The club explored the idea of bringing him in as early as the summer of 2024, potentially alongside his former Real Sociedad teammate Mikel Merino. Real Sociedad, though, refused to lose two major pillars of their side in the same window.

So Arsenal played the long game. They stayed in touch, kept relations warm, and waited. When the moment finally came a year later, they moved decisively and got their man.

Arteta’s reaction at the time said everything about how central he viewed the signing. He called Zubimendi a “key player,” praising his “quality and football intelligence” and insisting he had all the attributes to become a cornerstone of the team. This was not a squad-filler. This was a midfielder signed to shape the next phase of Arsenal’s project.

Andrea Berta, heavily involved in the deal, echoed that sentiment, describing Zubimendi as a “key target” and a “perfect fit” for the squad. Arsenal saw him as an anchor who could both protect and build, the kind of player who gives structure to a title-chasing side.

Zubimendi himself bought into the vision immediately. He called the move “a huge moment” in his career, the one he had been looking for. The scale of the club, the style of play, the sense that Arsenal’s best years were ahead of them – all of it pulled him towards North London.

A title, a dip, and a new dilemma

On the pitch, his first season was a marathon. Zubimendi featured 57 times in all competitions, scoring six goals and providing three assists. Those numbers only tell part of the story. He gave Arsenal control in big games, knitted together their passing, and helped them finally climb back to the top of English football.

By the end of the campaign, his form dipped. He lost his place in the starting XI during the run-in, a reminder that adaptation to the Premier League is rarely a straight upward line. Yet even with that late-season wobble, he had already played his part in a historic year: Arsenal crowned Premier League champions for the first time in over 20 years and reaching the Champions League final.

That is the version of Zubimendi Madrid are now circling – a proven operator in Spain, a title winner in England, and a midfielder who has shown he can carry the demands of club and country over a long season.

The stand-off to come

From Arsenal’s perspective, this is precisely the kind of situation they wanted to create: elite players, on long contracts, attracting interest from the biggest clubs in Europe. The difference now is that they no longer have to sell. They can dictate terms, timing, and price.

Madrid, for their part, are not acting from a position of desperation. They are exploring, testing the waters, debating internally whether Zubimendi is the right target at the right time. The club’s powerbrokers are not yet pulling in the same direction on this deal, and that hesitation matters when the fee would need to reflect both his importance to Arsenal and the length of his contract.

Arsenal will point to that contract until 2030, to his role in a title-winning campaign, to the manager’s belief in him. Madrid will point to their history, their pull, their ability to change a player’s life with a single phone call.

One club wants to build around him. The other is deciding whether to try again to take him.

If Madrid do come hard this time, Arsenal’s resolve – and Zubimendi’s own ambitions – will be tested in a way they avoided last summer.