Liverpool are the only Premier League club yet to make a summer signing; new boss Arne Slot wants a new No 6 in midfield; Martin Zubimendi has emerged as a target for Liverpool; the Spain international has a £51m release clause
Monday 12 August 2024 15:02, UK
Liverpool are waiting on Martin Zubimendi's decision regarding his future as Arne Slot searches for midfield reinforcements.
The 25-year-old midfielder has a £51m release clause in his contract and has been identified as a top target for the Reds this summer.
The player is currently considering his future amid interest from Liverpool, given in Spain a player must trigger his own release clause.
Real Sociedad are desperate to keep hold of the player and have even offered him a new contract with higher wages in a bid to keep him at the Anoeta Stadium.
Zubimendi shone in the Euro 2024 final against England when he replaced Rodri at half-time as Spain went on to win 2-1.
He has been at LaLiga side Sociedad since 2011 and helped the club finish sixth last season, scoring four times in 31 appearances.
Sociedad face a possibility of losing two key midfielders this summer, with Arsenal also keen on signing Mikel Merino before the transfer window comes to a close.
A move for Zubimendi would be the first significant business for Liverpool's new sporting director Richard Hughes, who said last month July would be quiet due to ongoing international tournaments but August would see transfer activity reach "a crescendo".
Liverpool are the only Premier League club yet to make a signing this summer with boss Arne Slot wanting a new No 6 in midfield.
The position has been in need of strengthening since the departure of Fabinho 12 months ago. Japan international Wataru Endo was brought in from Stuttgart late in the window last August for £16m after the club missed out on other targets but the now 31-year-old was only viewed as a short-term solution.
For a large proportion of last season Alexis Mac Allister was deployed in the No 6 position and last month Liverpool rejected a £12m bid from Marseille for Endo.
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
England fans could hardly believe their luck when Rodri was forced off with an injury halfway through the European Championship final against Spain. But it is a measure of the quality of his replacement that their linchpin's absence barely made a ripple.
If anything, Spain got better following Zubimendi's introduction.
Mikel Oyarzabal's late strike won it in the end but his Real Sociedad team-mate was similarly influential, quietly completing all but two of his passes, winning all five of his duels and making more tackles than anyone else as Spain suffocated Gareth Southgate's side.
Zubimendi's assured display, in and out of possession, was a 45-minute distillation of the qualities that make him one of the most sought-after holding midfielders in Europe.
The presence of Rodri in the Spain squad has limited his opportunities on the international stage. But he has long been key for Real Sociedad, featuring in 103 LaLiga games out of 114 over the last three seasons, impressing domestically and in Europe, including in the Champions League last term.
At 25, with his peak years ahead of him, and with defensive and tactical awareness to match his outstanding ball-playing ability, it is little wonder he has a long list of suitors.
