Arsenal believe signing £51m Liverpool target ‘is a done deal’ for summer transfer window

Arsenal believe the signing of Martin Zubimendi is already a done deal ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta’s side have indicated that they are ready to activate €60 million (£51m) release clause in Zubimendi’s contract with Real Sociedad.

However, Arsenal’s concerns were raised in March after Spanish sources claimed that Real Madrid were close to hijacking a deal to sign the 26-year-old.

Zubimendi had come close to joining Liverpool last year but the midfielder chose to spend another season in La Liga.

And according to The Athletic’s transfer expert David Ornstein, Arsenal firmly believe they have now won the race to sign Zubimendi this summer and are also in talks to extend Thomas Partey’s contract, which is due to expire at the end of the season.

‘His [Partey’s] return to prominence for Mikel Arteta’s team has made Arteta and the club be very keen on him remaining here at the Emirates Stadium,’ Ornstein told NBC Sports.

‘It’s something Thomas Partey is very keen on himself, he’s happy at Arsenal, his family are enjoying living in London and as I understand it he would be open to a new two-year contract, or a one-year contract with an option to extend by 12 months and he would like to have improved terms as well.

‘If an agreement is not struck, Thomas Partey does have alternative options and he will look to pursue them.

‘His fellow midfielder Jorginho is going to be leaving, we believe, when his own terms expire at the end of this campaign.

‘They’ll be adding to the midfield with the arrival of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. Arsenal are acting internally as if that is a done deal.

‘They’ll also look to strengthen in attack, players such as Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon, Benjamin Sesko on the radar.

‘I don’t think Alexander Isak is going to be realistic, nor the likes of Victor Osimhen and any other names you hear swirling around.

‘They may look for a winger but I think one would need to depart if that was going to happen.

‘Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth, they’re in the race for him as a young and promising centre-half, and they need a new second-choice goalkeeper.

‘Partey is one of the things on their agenda although it’s not guaranteed that anything is going to happen there, it’s a situation that they’re exploring.’

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