Arsenal appears to have reached a personal agreement to acquire Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. Fabrizio Romano, a journalist well versed in the transfer market, reported.

The 26-year-old Zubimendi is a product of Real Sociedad's youth system and made his debut for the first team in April 2019. Since the 2020-21 season, he has established himself as a main player for the club, playing in a total of 232 official matches, scoring 10 goals and providing 9 assists.

Last summer, there were rumors that he would move to Liverpool, but he remained at Real Sociedad. In the transfer market this summer, it was reported that Real Madrid was interested in him, but it seems that Arsenal won the race to acquire him.

Romano reported on his official website that "Zubimendi has reached a verbal agreement to sign a long-term contract. Arsenal must begin the process of activating the €60 million release clause." It is likely that he will be the first new addition to the team under new sporting director Andrea Berta.

Currently, it has been pointed out that Arsenal's key point is to strengthen the team with players who can play at the base of the midfield. The contracts of Italian national team midfielder Jorginho and Ghana national team midfielder Thomas Partey expire at the end of this season, and the former is reportedly likely to move to Brazil's Flamengo. Meanwhile, the latter is apparently in contract extension negotiations as manager Mikel Arteta is keen for him to stay, but his future remains unclear.