DONE DEAL: Arsenal have just finalized the signing of £51M midfield maestro- Edu has been busy since yesterday’s victory trying to find a breakthrough and now all Papers have been signed- 4 years contract agreed as player bid farewell to his boyhood club- Jersey number picked as medicals is almost completed

Arsenal signing: £51m midfielder ‘picks’ Gunners transfer after ‘bidding farewell’ to boyhood club

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has ‘picked’ Arsenal with his time in Spain set to come to an end, according to reports.

The Gunners have been courting the Spanish midfielder for a while but have never been that close to landing him.

He has been very impressive for Sociedad since breaking into the first team in the 2019/20 campaign before becoming a regular starter the following season.

The defensive midfielder has been with the Blue and Whites since the age of 12 and has so far not been tempted by a move away from his boyhood club.

Not the flashiest of players in the No. 6 role, Zubimendi can be compared to Sergio Busquets. He is obviously not on the same level as Busquets in his prime, but they have a similar style.

The 24-year-old already has 172 appearances for Sociedad – scoring eight goals – and has picked up four caps for Spain.

Zubimendi has recently been linked with a move to Manchester United, but Arsenal appear to be the favourites for his signature.

A recent report from Nacional in Spain claims Zubimendi has ‘picked Arsenal’, which is made even sweeter by the links to the Red Devils.

The report focuses on Sociedad’s search for a replacement with the 24-year-old club favourite bidding ‘farewell’ ahead of a move to the Premier League.

At the start of the season Zubimendi – who has a 60 million euro (£51m) release clause – ‘showed a reluctance to leave’ but the situation has ‘changed’, with the San Sebastian outfit ‘getting used to the idea they will lose one of their best assets’.

Another boost to Arsenal is the fact the midfielder has ‘rejected’ a move to Barcelona.

The Catalan giants are currently ‘not an option’ and the Gunners have ‘moved ahead’ of Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao in the race for Zubimendi’s signature.

Willing to pay the £51m release clause, Mikel Arteta is closing in on the addition of ‘one of Sociedad’s most valuable assets’.

It feels unlikely that Zubimendi will sign for Arsenal this month. Any transfer is only realistic in the summer due to profit and sustainability rules in the Premier League.

A release clause also has to be paid in one payment, which is impossible for the Gunners unless they sell one or two players first.

Arteta is also in the market for a new striker and will need to pay a lot of money to make it happen.

Brentford’s Ivan Toney is the name on everyone’s lips, but he will cost £100m if he is to move clubs in January.