Arsenal and Liverpool plot January move for La Liga star

Liverpool will look to maintain their lead at the top of the Champions League table when they face reigning champions Real Madrid on Wednesday night. 

Arne Slot’s side have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season and currently sit top of both the Champions League and Premier League.

The Reds have so far beaten AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in the group phase, and victory over Real will move them a step closer to securing automatic qualification to the knockout stage of Europe’s premier club competition.

In the meantime, though, it is being reported that the Merseyside club are preparing an offer for a new midfielder.

As per CaughtOffside, both Liverpool and Premier League rivals Arsenal are plotting offers for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in January.

The report claims that the two clubs are preparing offers of £50 million for the Spaniard, with Sociedad willing to listen to offers for the player in the new year.

Zubimendi was part of the Spain squad that won the Euros in Germany this summer

Despite this, the report claims that the La Liga side will demand a fee closer to £60 million for the 25-year-old.

While the Reds and the Gunners were interested in Zubimendi over the summer, it is also claimed that Manchester City could now be interested in the Spain international as they look to source a replacement for injured Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

Despite possible interest from the Premier League champions, the report claims that Liverpool and Arsenal are perceived to be ahead of City in the race for Zubimendi’s signature.

Zubimendi is a product of Sociedad’s youth academy and has now played more than 200 times for the club across all competitions, including 158 La Liga games.

His contract with the Spanish side is set to expire in the summer of 2027, but Sociedad could opt to cash in on the player while his stock is high following his exploits with Spain over the summer and in the early weeks of the season.

Zubimendi was part of the squad that won the Euros in Germany, replacing Rodri in the final as Spain beat England 2-1.