Real Madrid Regret Missing Out on Arsenal Midfielder Martin Zubimendi

A Spanish report claims Xabi Alonso pushed hard for Real Madrid to sign Martin Zubimendi before his €68 million move to Arsenal in 2025, but Florentino Perez declined due to squad depth. Zubimendi has since excelled for Arsenal and Spain, leading journalists to call Madrid’s decision a major mistake, with a future transfer now considered unlikely.

Doing the breakdown of the latest report, Real Madrid are believed to be regretting their decision to ignore Xabi Alonso’s request to sign Martin Zubimendi before the midfielder joined Arsenal in the summer of 2025. Arsenal pushed hard for the Spain international and eventually paid sixty million pounds, which is sixty eight million euros, to secure him from Real Sociedad despite his release clause being slightly lower. 

Since arriving at the Emirates, Zubimendi has become a key figure in defensive midfield and is already viewed as the long term successor to Rodri for Spain. A Catalan outlet claims Florentino Perez dismissed Alonso’s insistence on signing Zubimendi because Madrid already had Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. 

Camavinga has suffered injuries this season and Dani Ceballos has struggled to match Zubimendi’s level, which has only amplified the feeling that letting the midfielder slip away was a misjudgment. Other Spanish journalists have echoed the same sentiment, describing Madrid’s decision as a huge mistake. With Zubimendi now established in the Premier League, the report says it will be very difficult for Madrid to prise him away from Arsenal.