Ex-Arsenal star Alan Smith has told his former side to sanction a swap deal involving Martin Zubimendi and Julian Alvarez.

Zubimendi is being heavily linked with a potential exit from Arsenal because he has dropped in the pecking order over the past few months.

The Spaniard was a key player for most of last season after his £60m move from Real Sociedad, but he ended the 2025/26 campaign out of the Arsenal team and he is yet to recover.

Therefore, Zubimendi is being mooted as a potential option to be sacrificed so Arsenal can strengthen their attack after they missed out on Bradley Barcola, Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers in the summer.

Arsenal are already near-perfect in several positions, but they can improve on the flanks and up front, with Atletico Madrid star Alvarez mentioned as a possible dream signing for Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal told to sanction swap deal to sign Julian Alvarez

Now, Smith has explained why he thinks Arsenal would be wise to use Zubimendi as a “bargaining chip” for Alvarez.

“Obviously he played a big part last season, but having been an ever-present, he might be getting a bit restless not to be getting starts, just to be coming off the bench for a few minutes,” Smith told Best Betting Sites.

“So that might be something that can be part of a bargaining chip for Arsenal.

“If you could do a part swap, then obviously you’re not shelling out over 100 million pounds on Alvarez, because I’m sure Atletico would want something well in excess of that. So that might be a way forward.

“Looking at his games this season, he’s only got a couple of goals for Atletico. But he’s 26 years old, he’s got some good years ahead of him, and he’s got plenty of energy. So to me, he still looks like the most suitable target for Arsenal.”

On Zubimendi’s disappointing start to the season, Smith added: “It’s a strange one. I don’t know what’s happened, whether Arteta has decided he wants a different sort of midfielder.

“Obviously, Lewis-Skelly’s coming into the reckoning, and Guimaraes, who’s a totally different player to Zubimendi, he’s more dynamic, more likely to get you a goal.”

Despite this, Zubimendi tried to play down speculation about an exit in a recent interview.

“To be honest, I’m sometimes surprised by the press too,” Zubimendi told Marca.

“I understand that the winter transfer window is approaching and rumours can surface, but I think we need to be a bit more careful with what we publish.

“Ultimately, everyone has a team they play for, and we need to respect that. I’ve also read that I might be close, but not at all.

“Often a news story comes out and it seems that if it doesn’t come true, it’s quickly forgotten and nothing happens. I’m learning how this world works and getting used to it, but sometimes I could avoid a lot of the messages I receive because of this kind of news.”