Real Madrid, Atletico and Chelsea in three-way hunt for £60 million-rated Arsenal midfielder

Real Madrid, Atletico and Chelsea in three-way hunt for £60 million-rated Arsenal midfielder In a major update, Miguel Delaney of The Independent claims that Real Madrid are among three top clubs vying to sign Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi in the January transfer window. Los Blancos’ bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, as well Premier League heavy spenders Chelsea, are also understood to be in the race for the Spanish international. Real Madrid long-time admirers of Zubimendi This is not the first time that Real Madrid have been credited with interest in Zubimendi. The Spaniard was constantly linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu while he was still at Real Sociedad. The speculations peaked particularly when Xabi Alonso took over the reins of the club in 2025, but the midfielder ended up signing for Arsenal in a deal worth £60 million. Having made a positive start to life in London, Zubimendi ended up seeing his prominence take a hit towards the back end of Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning campaign. Zubimendi could be sold in January. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) With Bruno Guimaraes arriving in the summer and Declan Rice being a mainstay in the side, coupled with Myles Lewis-Skelly also providing an option, the 27-year-old Spain star has not played as regularly as he would have liked. Indeed, the ex-Real Sociedad star has only played 380 minutes across 12 matches in all competitions for Arsenal this term. Arsenal will seek to recoup £60 million for Zubimendi Given the circumstances, links to Real Madrid surfaced again during the summer , especially after the Merengues missed out on Rodri. Now, it seems like the club are back in the hunt for Zubimendi ahead of the January transfer window, with the team still seeking a midfield player of his qualities. Arsenal, for their part, would not be averse to offloading the 2026 FIFA World Cup winner as they are looking to sign a new forward player. Real Madrid, Atletico, and Chelsea want Zubimendi. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) As such, there is a growing belief within both Madrid clubs and Chelsea that they could sign the midfielder in the winter. However, the report states that in case of a sale, the Premier League champions would seek to at least recoup the £60 million fee that they invested in his signing in 2025. After a dodgy start, Real Madrid seem to have finally found balance in their midfield unit by utilising Bernardo Silva in a deeper role and shifting Federico Valverde at right-back. But with the potential opportunity of signing Zubimendi presenting itself, it will be interesting to see if the Spanish capital giants make a move.