Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Paul Scholes have shared their thoughts on Arsenal’s proposed deal to sign midfielder Martin Zubimendi. The Gunners appear to have wrapped up a deal for the Spaniard, who is set to be their first signing this summer in a £51 million deal.
Speaking on the Overlap, the pair of Manchester United greats expressed varying opinions with regards to how suited Zubimendi will be to English football. They also spoke about the logic behind his signing, with Scholes labelling it as a pointless one in the grand scheme of things. Scholes said;
Neville vehemently disagreed with the submission of his former teammate, revealing that the Spaniard excels in situations where Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Thomas Partey don’t.
Martin Zubimendi was a top target for Liverpool last summer but turned down a move to Anfield, preferring to remain with his boyhood club. Arsenal pounced this season, reaching an agreement with him and his club over a transfer at the end of the season.
Mikel Arteta’s side will pay his £51 million release clause, and see him as a direct replacement for Jorginho, who will join Flamengo. He may be Partey’s replacement, as well, as the Ghanaian has yet to agree on a new deal with Arsenal.
Arsenal are prepared to pay a significant wage to Sporting Club striker Viktor Gyokeres to ensure that they land him ahead of Manchester United, as per reports. The Sweden international features prominently on the shopping lists of both clubs heading into the final month of the 2024-25 season.
A Bola reports (via Tribal Football) that the Gunners are offering around £7 million a year to the 26-year-old striker. This is a fee Manchester United will struggle to match due to strict financial measures implemented by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in recent months.
Gyokeres is one of Europes’s most wanted strikers, having hit 52 goals and 12 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man will be keen to return to England, where he did not make his mark as a Seagull, with Manchester United or Arsenal.
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