Arsenal in negotiations to sign Martin Zubimendi since January
During the January transfer window, news broke from The Mail that Arsenal had entered advanced negotiations for Zubimendi.
Arsenal-Berta-dream-lineup
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The Spain international actually rejected a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool last summer (BBC), but Mikel Arteta and co weren't turned off by this and began attempting to lure him to the Emirates Stadium this winter.
Arsenal's next five Premier League games
Date
Chelsea (home)
March 16th
Fulham (home)
April 1st
Everton (away)
April 5th
Brentford (home)
April 12th
Ipswich Town (away)
April 20th
Arsenal have been attempting to agree a pre-summer deal for Zubimendi since the last transfer window, according to various reports, and there are now even suggestions that Berta wants to partner the 26-year-old with Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes in a complete revamp of Arteta's midfield (Eduardo Burgos).
Fabrizio Romano previously stated that Arsenal are planning to trigger Zubimendi's £51 million release clause this summer, but they still need to convince the player. Arteta is thought to have a key role in swaying the midfielder, while The Athletic have reported that Arsenal hope to have this deal fully agreed before the next window.
However, since these plethora of reports heavily linking Zubimendi with an Arsenal switch, it appears talks haven't yet advanced enough to seal his signature ahead of the 2025/2026 season.
With Jorginho and Thomas Partey out of contract this summer, Arteta will soon need a world-class replacement for either one of the duo, but it appears that man might not be Zubimendi after all.
Arsenal talks for Martin Zubimendi stall as Berta eyes Morten Hjulmand
According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have hit a roadblock in talks to sign Zubimendi, with the Gunners actually unprepared to fork out his release clause after all. Therefore, it is now a possibility that Berta will move on to alternative targets for the engine room, and one of them could be Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
Denmark international Morten Hjulmand
The Denmark international's contract actually includes a more expensive release clause, set at £67 million, but it is thought that Berta could seal his signature for much less - a fee of around £34 million.
Hjulmand has been a mainstay for Sporting in the Primeira Liga this term, scoring two goals and assisting two others in 20 league starts, while averaging an impressive 91.1 per cent passing accuracy and ranking as one of their best-performing players by average match rating per 90 (WhoScored).
The 25-year-old currently captains Sporting and played a key role for Ruben Amorim last season, helping the Portuguese heavyweights win their 20th Primeira Liga title, so he could be a very astute option.
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