Arsenal transfer news: Eight games in, and one Arsenal midfielder is barely getting a sniff. His only start came in the Carabao Cup against Ipswich, where Arteta stuck him at right-back. Spanish outlet Sport now claims he has zero Premier League starts, and that Real Madrid are watching closely. Yes, Madrid. Again.

What Madrid reportedly want

Sport says the Bernabeu side still kick themselves for dithering before he left Real Sociedad in 2025, and they’d love to fix that mistake in summer 2027. Other reports link José Mourinho with the idea, though football.london insisted in September that Arsenal have no plans to sell.

Meet the player

Martin Zubimendi is 27, a Spain international and a Euro 2024 winner. He reads danger early, rarely wastes a pass and shields the back four without fuss. Arsenal paid around £51m for him in 2025, and his contract runs until 2030.

Who stands in his way?

Declan Rice owns the shirt. Myles Lewis-Skelly has leapfrogged him lately, and Mikel Merino gives Arteta another option. That’s a crowded queue for a man who cost £51m.

Arsenal transfer news: Should Arsenal cash in on a midfielder who can’t buy a start?

No. Not this year, anyway. Arsenal chase everything, and a winter of league, Champions League and cup ties chews through legs quicker than anyone admits. Arteta confirmed Zubimendi and Piero Hincapié both picked up knocks after the Leeds game, which shows how thin the pivot becomes once fixtures stack up. Sell him in January, and the club needs a replacement who slots in without a drop. That player is rare, and expensive.

Zubimendi’s qualities don’t vanish because he’s on the bench. Calm on the ball, sharp with his positioning, he’s the type who steadies a game when Rice needs a rest. Arteta called him a key player when he signed him, and one slow start doesn’t rewrite that.

Summer 2027 looks different. If he still can’t force his way in and Madrid table a fee close to what Arsenal paid, a sale would suit everybody. Until then, he’s cover Arsenal can’t easily replace.