José Mourinho Eyes Martín Zubimendi for Real Madrid

José Mourinho has set his sights on Arsenal midfielder Martín Zubimendi and, crucially, has told Real Madrid to move.

The Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo reports that the Portuguese coach has given the green light for Los Blancos to go after the 27-year-old this summer, dragging a name from last year’s notebook back onto the front page of Madrid’s transfer plans.

Zubimendi was close to the Bernabéu once before. As Xabi Alonso arrived in the Spanish capital last summer, the midfielder’s name was heavily linked with Real, only for the deal to fizzle out and Arsenal to pounce instead. Twelve months on, the story has swung back towards La Liga.

This time, the context is different. Rodri has rejected a move to Madrid, leaving a hole in the club’s midfield blueprint and pushing Zubimendi back into focus. With Mourinho demanding a creative presence in the centre of the pitch, the Arsenal man has re-emerged as a live target rather than a forgotten rumour.

The stance from the coach is clear: go and get him.

Arsenal, for their part, are not slamming the door. The Gunners are open to letting Zubimendi leave if a serious offer arrives. Serious, in this case, starts above the 65 million euros they paid to sign him last year. Anything less will not even start the conversation.

Around the player, the machinery has already started to move. Zubimendi’s representatives are assessing his position at Arsenal, where he has lost much of his status in the squad, and are quietly exploring a way out. A year after being a marquee arrival, he is now a candidate to be sacrificed.

Mourinho’s demand for a creative midfielder aligns neatly with that uncertainty. He has approved the operation, sees Zubimendi as a solution, and is pushing from his side of the table. The sporting logic is there. The financial and squad logistics are not so simple.

Two obstacles stand in front of Real Madrid.

• The first is Arsenal’s price. Any bid has to climb past that 65 million euro mark, a figure that immediately turns this into a heavyweight deal rather than an opportunistic swoop.
• The second is even more restrictive: someone at Madrid has to leave. The club has already made it clear that no further signings will be made unless a current squad member departs. Until that exit materialises, Zubimendi’s path to the Bernabéu remains blocked.

Mourinho has spoken. Arsenal are listening. Zubimendi is waiting. Now it comes down to who Madrid are willing to push out to open the door.