Arne Slot makes big Zubimendi transfer admission amid claims Liverpool could hijack Arsenal deal

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has come clean on his long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi having revealed exactly how the Spain star would have been a perfect fit in his Reds midfield and amid fresh claims the Merseysiders are ready to beat Arsenal to his summer signing.

Zubimendi came within a whisker of becoming the first signing of the Slot era at Anfield when Liverpool triggered his sizeable €60m (£50.7m, $62.1m) exit clause in his Real Sociedad contract, only for the player to change his mind at the 11th hour and opt to remain with his hometown club for the foreseeable future.

However, speculation linking Zubimendi with a Premier League move refuses to die down and reports last week claimed Arsenal had nipped ahead of the competition and had ‘virtually completed’ a deal to bring Zubimendi to Emirates Stadium in the summer.

Those claims have since been played down by Fabrizio Romano, who has since revealed an ‘open race’ for the 15-times capped Spain midfielder; words that lay open the possibility of the Merseysiders beating the Gunners to the punch and finally getting hold of the long-term Slot target after all.

Now Slot has opened up on those links to the 25-year-old star and revealed exactly how he believes he would fit into his Liverpool midfield.

Speaking in an interview with Rio Ferdinand for TNT Sports, Slot revealed: “The [No.6 roles] are important to me, but they are especially important for our attackers. We feel we have attackers that are pretty special – the front three – and we’ve got five or six of them.

“So the only thing we have to make sure is that these players come into promising positions having the ball a lot. Therefore you need two sixes who can bring the ball to them. With Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Ryan, we have two players who can bring the ball to the likes of Mo Salah, to Cody Gakpo, to Darwin Nunez, to Diogo Jota.

“And we have chosen to bring in two players who were maybe a bit more attacking-minded in the past. Macca played a lot of times as a No.10 for Brighton, Ryan played more as an attacking midfielder but he is comfortable on the ball.

“I even think the player we wanted to bring in (Zubimendi) – I think that’s pretty much out in the open now – he was also a player who was really comfortable. He’s still a player who could bring the ball from the last line to our forwards.”

IN-DEPTH 🔴 Martin Zubimendi profile: €60m midfield gem perfect for Slot’s Liverpool engine room

Slot hails Gravenberch as Fabrizio Romano discusses Zubimendi race

The biggest benefactor of Liverpool’s failure to sign Zubimendi has undoubtedly been Gravenberch, with the Dutchman excelling under Slot and proving one of the Reds’ most consistent performers this season. Had Zubimendi signed, it may have been doubtful if Liverpool and Slot would have seen the 22-times capped Netherlands star truly reach his full potential at Anfield.

Now Slot has been keen to pay tribute to the 22-year-old’s rich form this season.

“This is a special quality Ryan has. The ability to turn away from his man. He is one of a few holding midfielders, pivots, whatever you call them in this country, who can create an overload by a dribble,” Slot added.

“Most of these players pass a lot but to create an overload by a dribble, you don’t see that much. You don’t see that much as a No.6. I think the strength of this team is that we defend as 11. He has two centre-backs behind him, too. Virgil van Dijk helps a lot with that too in the Dutch language to make it clear to him.”

Of course, no squad is ever complete the quest to add additional quality to one’s ranks is an ongoing process. With cash to spend in 2025, it’s no surprise to see Liverpool being linked with a fresh move to bring Zubimendi to Anfield – and with multiple Spanish sources revealing that a final decision on the midfielder’s next move will not be made until the season’s end.

With that in mind, Anfield remains a potential destination for Zubimendi according to transfer expert Romano.

“For next summer, work in progress also for Martin Zubimendi,” said Romano on his YouTube channel last week.

“As of today, I’m still not in a position to say here we go or confirm that the deal is done, because with Zubimendi, last summer, Liverpool were advancing and the player changed his mind to continue with Real Sociedad.

“With Zubimendi, you have to be really careful because the player loves his city and his country, his club and his fans.

“Arsenal are working on it and are confident. The conversation involves Mikel Arteta, who is from the same city as Zubimendi, so they have a great connection. But they are still working on the details of the deal.”

Latest Liverpool transfer news: Mo Salah lift; Cherki price tag emerges

Meanwhile, claims that Mo Salah will leave Anfield this summer and is ready to agree a move to PSG have been played down by an in-the-know source in France.

And L’Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi has revealed exactly where he sees the Egyptian superstar playing next season and amid strong links to a third club in for the 32-year-old.

Should Salah depart, the Reds will have a near-impossible hole to fill in their side, though former player Danny Murphy has run the rule over four options and named the Real Madrid star he sees as the man best equipped to slot in, should the Egyptian move on.

Another player strongly linked in recent days is Rayan Cherki and now reports from France have named the modest price on the Lyon star’s head were the Reds to make their move.

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