Direct talks held: Arsenal and Chelsea could do surprise transfer business this January

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi is reportedly facing an uncertain future amid transfer interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The Spain international has shone for the Gunners since joining from Real Sociedad just over a year ago, but his situation at the Emirates Stadium has also become slightly complicated.

With the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes and the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly, it now seems that Zubimendi has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal.

According to TEAMtalk, Zubimendi has already spoken to manager Mikel Arteta about his situation, with Chelsea and Real Madrid keeping an eye on his situation ahead of January.

The report also mentions some interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, but Zubimendi is not thought to be interested in that kind of move at this stage of his career.

Martin Zubimendi to assess his options

For now, it seems Zubimendi’s priority is to make it at Arsenal, but he’ll also review his situation when January comes around, according to TEAMtalk.

The 27-year-old will surely have a role to play at Arsenal, with Arteta likely to need to rotate heavily in order to keep his team competitive in so many different competitions over the course of the season.

Still, Zubimendi is also surely aware that he’s good enough to start regularly for a lot of the biggest clubs in Europe.

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Chelsea and Real Madrid could be tempting for Zubimendi

One imagines Zubimendi would be tempted by top clubs like Chelsea and Real Madrid if things don’t work out with Arsenal.

The former Sociedad man could be ideal for Chelsea right now after their recent decision to sell Enzo Fernandez without finding time to bring in a replacement.

Madrid, meanwhile, notably missed out on Rodri this summer, as Fabrizio Romano reported at the time, so Los Blancos could do well to bring in someone of Zubimendi’s profile as an alternative.