Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s opinion on Arsenal signing Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad has been revealed in the Spanish media, as the midfielder shares why he chose a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Zubimendi is one of the best midfielders in the world and completed his move to Arsenal on Sunday. According to The Daily Mail, the Gunners will pay Sociedad £60million for the Spain international, more than the release clause of £51million in his contract at LaLiga club. This is so Arsenal can pay the transfer fee in instalments.
There was interest from Spanish giants Madrid, but it was reported way back in January 2025 that Arsenal had a deal in place with Zubimendi, and it seems that the Premier League club were always confident of signing the midfielder.
Following the announcement on Sunday, Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta described Zubimendi on the club’s official website as “a key target”, adding that “he is a perfect fit for our squad with the high quality he has”.
Defensa Central has now revealed how Madrid feel after watching Arsenal secure the services of Zubimendi, who scored 10 goals and gave nine assists in 236 appearances for the Sociedad first team.
The Real Madrid-centric website has claimed that Zubimendi ‘sparked interest from Xabi Alonso’, but the club’s hierarchy, including president Florentino Perez, did not act upon the new manager’s wishes.
The report has claimed that the transfer fee that Arsenal paid for Zubimendi was ‘precisely what made Florentino Pérez reject the move’.
‘The president and those close to him consider it an excessive price’, according to the report.
Madrid directors are also said to be confident that the squad will not regret not signing Zubimendi.
Los Blancos have confidence in defender Dean Huijsen’s ability to bring the ball out from the back, and believe that midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga will flourish under Alonso.
Defensa Central has added that another reason why Madrid did not sign Zubimendi is because of Arda Guler, who will play a more prominent role under Alonso next season than he did under Carlo Ancelotti and could be converted into a central midfielder.
Liverpool were close to signing Zubimendi from Sociedad last summer, but the midfielder had a late change of heart and decided to stay put at the Spanish club.
This time, though, Arsenal convinced the Spain international to leave his homeland and embark on an adventure in the Premier League.
Upon completion of the move to the north London club, Zubimendi has revealed why he decided to switch to Arsenal this summer.
Zubimendi told Arsenal’s official website: “Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me.
“It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come.
“As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever.
“This is a huge moment in my career. It’s the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it’s a big change, but I’m ready to get started.”
