Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is facing a double dilemma in January concerning his midfield options as the club could lose out in two different areas. The Gunners had been hoping to resurrect their attempts to sign Martin Zubimendi in January after cooling their interest in the summer transfer window, but they could now face competition from Bayern Munich, while Arteta may also be forced to cope with a possible midfield departure.
Despite spending £105million on Declan Rice in the summer and signing Jorginho in January last year, it is likely Arsenal will move for another midfielder in the winter transfer window.
Arteta is said to be a fan of Real Sociedad’s holding midfielder Zubimendi, who is a Spain international and was heavily linked with Barcelona last summer.
The 24-year-old is under contract until 2027 but has a release clause of £52m, which could allow Arsenal to negotiate a slightly lower fee if they choose to revive their interest. However, the presence of Bayern Munich in the race to sign Zubimendi could scupper their transfer plans.
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Bayern missed out on their top target Joao Palhinha in the summer and he looks to be out of contention as Thomas Tuchel looks to strengthen his midfield, with doubts over the future of Joshua Kimmich. Bild’s Christian Falk reports that the German champions’ interest is concrete and they are exploring the potential signing in January.
That would represent a blow for Arteta, who is already searching for a replacement for Thomas Partey as he is expected to leave the club in January. The Ghanaian has struggled for fitness and has been ruled out for most of the season so far, with his last start coming in the 2-2 draw with Fulham back in August.
There is a feeling that if the club received an appropriate offer, he would be allowed to depart after three years at the Emirates Stadium, where he has made 104 appearances and scored five goals.
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Italian outlet Tutto Mercato reports that Partey has already told the club he wishes to leave after falling down the pecking order amid interest from Juventus.
The 30-year-old has also generated interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, which would at least allow Arsenal to demand a sizeable fee to reinvest in his replacement. They also have some money left in the budget following the £35m sale of Folarin Balogun to AS Monaco in August.
The £45m signing from Atletico Madrid is now waiting on offers from England, as well as Italy and Spain, before making his final decision.
But if Arteta were to miss out on Zubimendi, it may delay the departure of Partey as he would need to find cover for the defensive midfielder before allowing him to leave – an unwanted distraction for the north London club as they continue to fight on all four fronts this season.
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