Arsenal have signed Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal worth almost £60m.
The Spain midfielder is the Gunners’ second signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrival of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5m.
The 26-year-old, who rejected an approach from Liverpool last summer, came through the ranks at Real Sociedad before becoming a regular in their first team.
Arsenal disclosed this in a statement, “We’re delighted to announce that Spain international Martin Zubimendi has joined us on a long-term contract.”
A Spanish international, Zubimendi started all five games in the 2020 Olympic Games as they claimed silver in Tokyo and has gone on to make 19 senior appearances for La Roja, winning the 2023 UEFA Nations League as well as helping his country defeat England 2-1 to win Euro 2024, coming on as a half-time substitute.
Zubimendi said: “This is a huge moment in my career. It’s the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.
“I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.”
Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, added: “We are so happy to bring Martin to Arsenal and have a lot of pride in finalising this transfer. Martin was a key target for us and we all know that he is a perfect fit for our squad with the high quality he has.
“We welcome Martin and his family to the club. We look forward to him settling in with his teammates and are very excited to see him playing in an Arsenal shirt.”
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Mikel Arteta said: “Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. He will fit in really well and he has all the attributes to be a key player for us.
“The standard he has consistently performed at over the last few seasons for both club and country is exactly why we are so excited to have him with us. We all welcome Martin and his family to the club.”
Zubimendi will wear the number 36 shirt and will join up with his new teammates at the Sobha Realty Training Centre when the team report for pre-season.
The deep-lying midfielder, who played 236 times for the Spanish club, scoring 10 goals, has signed a five-year deal.
Last season he was part of the side beaten 4-1 at Old Trafford as Sociedad, who finished 11th in La Liga, were knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United.
Zubimendi helped his country win Euro 2024, coming on for Manchester City’s Rodri at half-time in the final against England as Mikel Oyarzabal’s goal claimed the trophy for Spain.
He has 19 caps and has become a regular for Spain as a result of Rodri being sidelined last season by a serious knee injury.
Zubimendi scored in the recent Nations League final against Portugal before Spain lost on penalties.
Arsenal have also agreed a deal with Brentford to sign midfielder Christian Norgaard for an initial £10m.
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