Arsenal had scouts in attendance to watch Martin Zubimendi in action in Real Sociedad’s Champions League match against Benfica, according to reports.
The Gunners have been looking at the Spanish defensive midfielder for around a year and are expected to sign a player in his position when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Mikel Arteta will have to be shrewd and imaginative with his winter budget due to FFP constraints, though.
Nonetheless, the Arsenal manager is eager to bolster his midfield with Thomas Partey out injured until the new year.
It is yet another injury for the Ghanian, who was linked with a summer exit to Juventus before Arteta ok cold water over those rumours.
Arteta – who is a big fan of Partey – insisted in July that the former Atletico Madrid midfielder is “super important” to him.
“Thomas is a super important player for us and for me,” he said. “I want him to be part of the team. That’s for sure.
“Every time I spoke to him and had a conversation with him he’s ready to stay with us. For me, there’s nothing there at all.”
Amidst reports of Partey being absent until 2024, Arteta told reporters: “Some of the injuries that we had, they are some bad luck, some of them have been long-term injuries with some special players and when we didn’t have a lot of depth.
“We can talk about the depth, but after you have to talk about the specific positions or certain units where we are a little bit shorter.
But it is the challenge of the season and other people have to step up, and that as well is a good test for the team – how we take those moments and how we actually respond to that. So far, the team is doing well.”
Zubimendi – who has played 17 times across all competitions this term – would be a very good replacement.
One problem for the Gunners is that Zubimendi is Real Sociedad through and through and will probably stay beyond January after his side qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.
The La Liga side confirmed their place in the knockout stages with a 3-1 win over Benfica through the week.
And according to 90min, Arsenal had scouts in attendance to see the Spanish midfielder in action.
It is noted that Sociedad have plenty of players worth watching but the ‘main reason’ the Premier League club had scouts in attendance was to see Zubimendi, who has a €50million (£43.6million) release clause.
Arsenal are believed to be eyeing up the 24-year-old ahead of the winter transfer window, the report claims.
As well as Zubimendi, Arteta is also keen on Benfica’s Joao Neves and Florentino Luis, who the Gunners have ‘previously looked at’.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain also had scouts in attendance at the Anoeta Stadium on Wednesday.
