Chelsea eye move to sign Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi, as per the Independent.

After enduring a disappointing campaign last term, the Blues decided to appoint Xabi Alonso as the new manager. However, they have had a mixed start this season.

Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League table with 16 points from 10 matches, sitting two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. A fifth place finish might even be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Meanwhile, with the winter window approaching quickly, it seems Chelsea have already started exploring options to strengthen the squad and help Alonso achieve success at the end of this season.

Now, the Independent report that the West London club are considering upgrading the midfield department and have identified Zubimendi as a serious option.

They have been monitoring his situation closely at Arsenal before making a potential swoop in January. However, Chelsea will have to overcome Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid’s challenge to seal the deal.

After moving to the Emirates Stadium from Real Sociedad, Zubimendi enjoyed a promising start under Mikel Arteta. However, he has failed to continue the momentum and has now found himself out of favour this season following Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival.

Zubimendi to Chelsea

Therefore, the report state that with Arsenal planning to reinforce the attack next year, they are ready to raise funds by selling Zubimendi. The Emirates club want to recoup the £60m that they spent to buy him last year, with his existing deal set to run until 2030.

Zubimendi is a technically gifted deep-lying playmaker by trait but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. Furthermore, he has played in the right-back position under Arteta this season.

The 27-year-old can play threading passes between the lines, good in the air and is efficient in defensive contributions.

Although he has struggled at Arsenal in recent times, he is a talented player and is currently at the prime stage of his career. Therefore, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Chelsea should they purchase him.

However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the West London club eventually manage to secure his services by defeating other clubs in this race.