Martin Zubimendi has thrown his Arsenal transfer into doubt despite reports last week that it was a done deal.
The Real Sociedad midfielder first rejected Liverpool last summer, and has since been coveted by the Gunners, agreeing personal terms with them in early May.
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The transfer window will open shortly where a deal could officially be finalised, but Zubimendi has now surprised with some comments while on national duty with Spain.
Speaking to a local Basque outfit about his future, the 26-year-old said: “Of course there are options.
“But it’s true that it seems like it’s going to be a different, long summer, and I don’t know how it will end.
“I don’t think thinking about that right now is my priority. I’m here with the national team, which I think is already quite demanding, and if I have to say something, then I will.”
The Euro 2024 winner caused some drama last week when he uploaded a photo on his local beach in Sagues while reports claimed he was set to undergo a medical at the Emirates.
Asked why he uploaded the controversial post, Zubimendi responded: “It’s an example of what surrounds football.
“Many times I wake up in the morning and read things that I didn’t know I had done. That was a clear example.
“It’s true that I don’t take it very seriously, but anyway, I uploaded those photos to emphasize a little that it wasn’t exactly the reality that was happening.”
Along with Arsenal, Zubimendi has regularly been linked to Real Madrid who are looking for midfield reinforcements following the departure of footballing legend Luka Modric.
The assumption in Spain was that Arsenal had won the race for the number six, but a new arrival in the Bernabeu dugout could change things.
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Zubimendi crossed paths with his boyhood hero in Real Sociedad’s academy when Xabi Alonso coached the B-team.
After hanging up his boots as a player, Alonso spent three years as a coach his local side’s youth team before his famed double-winning move to Bayer Leverkusen and now Real Madrid.
The former midfielder helped Zubimendi become a LaLiga regular and Copa del Rey winning legend with Real Sociedad, while he not only won Euro 2024 with Spain but also the 2023 Nations League.
Asked about linking back up with Alonso in the capital, Zubimendi was again non-committal.
“I have always said that he was my idol and that for me it was lucky that he was able to coach me in the reserve team in a very important year,” he explained.
“The following year I was already in the first team and, well, I don’t like to talk about those hypotheses, I prefer to talk about the present.
“I also think that it would be disrespectful to answer from the national team training camp and before facing such an important competition.”
