Arsenal are working really hard to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
The Gunners have had a quiet winter transfer window, but news broke on Tuesday about their interest in the Spain international midfielder.
Arsenal are set to sign Zubimendi in the summer, and initial reports suggested that the North Londoners would trigger his £51m release clause.
However, David Ornstein has an update on that situation.
Why Arsenal could pay more than Martin Zubimendi’s £51m release clause
Zubimendi has been a target for Arsenal for a long, long time.
The Gunners have been chasing the Real Sociedad star for over two years now, but he wasn’t prepared to leave his home town club.
However, in the summer of 2025, that is all set to change, and as things stand, Arsenal are the absolute favourites to sign him.
Ornstein had his say on Zubimendi, and he confirmed that Arsenal are indeed working to sign the player. But, he thinks Mikel Arteta’s side could actually pay more than the figure in his release clause for one key reason.
“They are pursuing a deal for Martin Zubimendi, the Real Sociedad midfielder,” Ornstein said on NBC Sports.
“They have been working on this for some time. Their interest is long-term, led by Mikel Arteta. Liverpool came close to signing him last summer, but Arsenal have stolen a march and they are going to hope to see it out next summer.
“The release clause in his contract is €60 million (£51m). My understanding is that they might look to pay a bit more so that they can stagger the payments and that would allow them to do other business in next summer’s transfer window.
“So there’s immediate business to attend to at Arsenal but also longer term as well with the potential of Zubimendi. It’s a busy time at the Emirates.”
What will happen if Arsenal don’t agree to pay more than Zubimendi’s release clause?
It would be very smart of Arsenal to agree a deal for Zubimendi with Real Sociedad that’s worth more than the value of his release clause.
At first glance, some fans might think it’s silly to pay more than what’s required, but a release clause works very differently compared to a normal transaction.
If Arsenal refuse to pay more and just trigger the release clause, they will have to pay the full £51 million in one go to seal a move for Zubimendi.
By paying a bit more, the North Londoners will have the option of settling the fee in multiple instalments. That is a lot more beneficial, even if the overall expenditure would be higher.
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