Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is nearing a huge first summer signing
Arsenal are finally just days away from their first signing of the 2025 summer transfer window, with Martin Zubimendi having arrived in London to sign his contract – and with three more huge signings destined to quickly follow.
The Gunners are looking to add quality to their ranks this summer after finishing as Premier League runners-up for the third straight season. And while Mikel Arteta can be celebrated for turning Arsenal into Champions League regulars, the quest to turn them into trophy winners will be ramped up this summer.
While business has been slow to arrive so far at Emirates Stadium, the Gunners’ recently-appointed sporting director, Andrea Berta, has been working feverishly on a number of key additions.
And the Italian’s first piece of incoming business for the north London giants will be to finally deliver Arteta on a target he has been chasing for a good few years in Zubimendi.
The path to the 19-times capped Spain midfielder has not been easy. Liverpool came within a whisker of signing him last summer, before a last-minute change of heart saw him back out of the deal.
And while the Gunners were reported to have gotten an agreement of their own in place as far back as January, they have been forced to sweat amid continued reports of a transfer hijack from Real Madrid.
However, with Fabrizio Romano confirming last week that Zubimendi to Arsenal was now imminent, Sky Sports have reported that the 26-year-old has jetted into London to sign on the dotted line and finally complete his long-awaited move to the Gunners.
Arsenal are understood to be paying Real Sociedad a fee slightly more than his €60million (£51m / $69m) release clause in order to schedule some of the payments further down the line.
He is also expected to sign an initial four-year deal at Emirates Stadium, tying the 26-year-old star down through to summer 2029.
Arsenal finally land Zubimendi; three big names to follow….
Zubimendi should slot instantly into the Arsenal midfield and will likely regarded as a replacement for Thomas Partey, who looks destined to leave as a free agent after talks over an extension still not resulting in an agreement reached.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Sociedad’s vice-president Roberto Montiel explained what type of player Arsenal fans could expect next season, and having drawn comparisons to the midfielder with former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man, Xabi Alonso.
“He could play with both feet, he was a quick thinker, and he was always in the right positions on the pitch,” says Montiel. “He was like Xabi Alonso in the way he saw football.”
For the Gunners, while the signing of Zubimendi will bring with it plenty of satisfaction, it will certainly not mark the end of their summer business.
TEAMtalk can also confirm reports that Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume is being lined up as Arsenal’s next midfield signing.
And the Gunners also soon hope to finalise a new striker too, with Berta also working on possible deals for either Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko.
The Arsenal chief has held advanced talks over deals for both players, but it appears that Sporting CP’s asking price for Gyokeres higher than Arsenal would like, they seem to be prioritising Sesko and have reportedly reached an agreement with the Slovenian.
In addition, Arteta wants to strengthen his left-wing options and an ambitious move for Real Madrid star Rodrygo is also in their sights.
Arsenal transfer round-up: CWC star targeted; Bayern eye Gunners star
A move for Rodrygo certainly now makes sense, with any lingering hopes Arteta may have had of signing Nico Williams surely ended once and for all after a significant update from Deco over the Athletic Bilbao man’s possible move to Barcelona.
The Gunners could potentially fund any move for the Los Blancos star by selling a Brazil international of their own amid claims Bayern Munich are now actively chasing the 51-goal star.
Meanwhile, we can reveal Arsenal are in the mix to sign a highly-rated Porto defensive star currently featuring at the Club World Cup in the United States, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Zubimendi set to form perfect Declan Rice link-up
Zubimendi looks set to form a midfield partnership with Declan Rice, who initially played as a No.6 but has increasingly been used as a No.8 in recent months.
We’ve taken a look at the Spaniard’s league stats from the 2024/25 season and compared them with Rice, Jorginho and Partey.
And note: while we’ve not included Mikel Merino as he has often been used as a makeshift striker in Arteta’s side, we have analysed his passing, his defensive work and his attacking contributions in what will give Arsenal fans a sign of what’s to come….