Arsenal have been looking at the possibility of bringing in a new midfielder in 2024 but as of now, talks of one arriving in January are premature. 

The Gunners are currently holding formative internal talks on all potential names that could be pursued next year as the future of Thomas Partey at the Emirates remains up in the air.

Two names that have been heavily linked to Arsenal are Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.

According to Ben Jacobs, the French star is very unlikely to leave the Bernabeu anytime soon but the Spanish midfielder could be an option as he has a £53m release clause in his current contract.

Writing in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs provided the latest on Arsenal’s search for a new midfielder.

“Thomas Partey has a muscle injury but is expected back in a few weeks. His injury has prompted rumours of a new midfielder arriving, but it’s a bit premature to be leaping to that conclusion,” the journalist wrote.

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“Partey was subject of firm Saudi interest over the summer and Mikel Arteta is delighted he’s still at the club. There is just frustration that Partey’s minutes have been so limited this season.

“Links with Aurelien Tchouameni are wide of the mark. There has been no approach. Tchouameni wants to stay at Real Madrid, who also have no desire to sell.

“Martin Zubimendi is perhaps more possible in 2024. Arsenal wanted the Real Sociedad midfielder in January but there was no player buy-in and the La Liga club also didn’t want to sell. Zubimendi has a £53m release clause.

“Right now, Arsenal are only holding formative internal talks on all potential names. And from what I am told, if Arsenal have their way they could well look a bit closer to home. Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz is still appreciated. It’s tough because he’s enjoying life at Villa under Unai Emery.”

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Mikel Arteta has worked wonders with his young Arsenal side and whilst it’s still too early in the season to assess their title credentials, the expectation is that they’ll be there or thereabouts come the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Gunners are already showing the resolve that’s required to close out even the most difficult games, and are the joint top scorers out of the top four teams, conceding only one more goal than Man City.

Give Arsenal’s chastening experience in 2022/23, that should hold them in good stead as they progress through the current season.

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With the January transfer window just two months away, thoughts are already likely to be turning to which areas of the squad need strengthening, and which players will be able to help the club in that regard.

Arteta clearly feels that there’s something more required in midfield, with Calciomercato noting that he has his eye on Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.

Though it isn’t clear at this stage if either player is available and willing to move to north London, Arteta at least has the luxury of knowing the market in Spain.

Having played for Real Sociedad as well as being born in San Sebastian, that might give him an edge when trying to land the talented Zubimendi.

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Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing the Real Sociedad defender Robin Le Normand.

A report from Fichajes claims that the Red Devils are one of the clubs best positioned to sign the player and they are looking at him as a potential replacement for Harry Maguire.

The England international is expected to leave Manchester United soon after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford. The 30-year-old needs to play regularly at this stage of his career and he is unlikely to get those opportunities at Manchester United.

It will be interesting to see if he decides to leave the club in the transfer window reopens in January.

Meanwhile, Robin Le Normand has impressed with his performances in the Spanish league and he is certainly good enough to play in the Premier league as well. However, signing him will not be easy for Manchester United. Apparently, Real Madrid have shown interest in the defender as well. They want him to replace Nacho Fernandez.

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The 26-year-old central defender will be tempted to join a big club in the coming months and the opportunity to play for clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid can be hard to turn down.

Los Blancos are undoubtedly a more attractive option for any player and Manchester United should look to move swiftly in order to beat the Spanish club to his signature.

Both clubs have the financial resources to get the deal done and it will be interesting to see if Real Sociedad are prepared to sanction his departure midway through the season.

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Arsenal could reignite their interest in Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi next summer as the 24-year-old has been a long-term target for the Gunners. 

That is according to the Mirror, who reports that Mikel Arteta still wants to bring the Sociedad star to the Emirates despite failing to sign the Spain international earlier this year.

The North London club activated the £53million (€60m) release clause in Zubimendi’s contract at the Basque club but the player was reluctant to leave Real Sociedad, the club where he has spent the entirety of his career, as he was determined to represent them in this season’s Champions League.

The Spaniard was tipped for big things when he initially broke into La Real’s team and so far, the youngster is living up to it.

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Barcelona are another club monitoring Zubimendi’s situation at Real Sociedad with a report from Sport this summer claiming that the Barca hierarchy were split over whether to make a move for the Spanish player, despite boss Xavi considering him a primary target

Should Arsenal fail to land the 24-year-old, the Mirror reports that Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni is another player that the Gunners could make a move for.

Arteta is a fan of the French star as the Spanish coach is clearly in the market for another midfielder.

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Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

There’s nowhere else to start. Real Madrid face Barcelona at 16:15 CEST on Saturday, and the headline act is a 20-year-old Englishman by the name of Jude Bellingham.

Madridista mouths will have contained no shortage of hearts on Tuesday when Bellingham limped off against Braga late on, but he has confirmed that he will be present. Not so much for Barcelona’s injured sextet. Sergi Roberto, Jules Kounde and Pedri have been ruled out, Raphinha looks as if he will be back, while Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong could take pain-killing injections to make it back.

Either way, it will be a match of extra spice. Carlo Ancelotti spent all of his press conference answering questions on referees on Tuesday, after President Joan Laporta claimed that a ‘sociological Madridismo’ was in action in the halls of power in Spain, a general bias in politics, sports, the courts and the media. What is more, Xavi Hernandez called it ‘a reality’.

Cesc Fabregas has been very impressed with Jude Bellingham for a number of reasons. pic.twitter.com/j5uMsvAagU

— Football España (@footballespana_) October 26, 2023

In addition, Barcelona Director said the treatment that Vinicius Junior got on Tuesday against Braga was ‘not racism’, but rather deserved a good slap.

What has not been made up is the court case against Madrid Council. They have given permission for a car park to be built underground next to the Santiago Bernabeu and run by Real Madrid. The locals are taking the council to court, alleging that it is a misuse of public funds to benefit Los Blancos – they could make over half a billion euros on the deal.

Meanwhile Aston Villa are clearly happy with how things are going under Unai Emery, but little did they know they had the Michael Jordan of transfers working above him. At least that’s according to former Leeds United Sporting Director Victor Orta, who was effusive in his praise for Monchi.

Real Betis are back in talks for former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, as they are down to their last two central defenders. Real Sociedad continue their sensational form, and are now top of their Champions League group ahead of Inter after an away win at Benfica, while Girona remain second behind Real Madrid. Anything other than a win for the Madrid side in El Clasico, and Girona will have the chance to ensure a Catalan side go top, just not Barcelona.

The post Inside Spain: Jude Bellingham’s first Clasico, Real Madrid conspiracy and replacing Michael Jordan appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are reportedly eyeing up the potential transfer of Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, making the 23-year-old Frenchman their top target for 2024.

Another La Liga-based player, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, is also on the Gunners’ radar in that position, while Manchester United also have an interest in him, according to Football Transfers.

Arsenal spent big on Declan Rice this summer, but one imagines they might need to strengthen in midfield again soon as Thomas Partey and Jorginho aren’t getting any younger, making a young talent like Tchouameni ideal as a long-term successor to Partey, while Zubimendi is a similar style of player to Jorginho.

Arsenal initially held talks over signing Tchouameni earlier this year, according to Football Transfers, but Madrid’s response at the time was that the former Monaco man was not for sale.

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It will be interesting to see if the Gunners can have better luck in their pursuit of Tchouameni next summer, and it may be that he’ll soon consider his options if he doesn’t manage to cement his place in Real’s starting line up by then.

There’s a lot of competition at the Bernabeu, so Tchouameni may feel it’s worth a change of scene to really make the most of his potential, as he’d surely play more at Arsenal and could contribute to what increasingly looks like a very promising project under Mikel Arteta.

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The 2024 winter transfer window is a couple of months from opening, but Liverpool and Man United are already circling for one highly-rated La Liga star.

Both Premier League outfits will be keen to plug any holes in their squads during January, with the Reds perhaps having more chance to land their targets.

The failure to land both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, both of whom ended up at Chelsea, denotes that Liverpool do have money to spend, whereas with the Red Devils generally do the bulk of their spending on transfers during the summer.

Given that Erik ten Hag also splashed out on Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat amongst others, there’s a need to keep on the right side of FFP at Old Trafford.

According to TeamTalk, United and Liverpool scouts have been running the rule over Real Sociedad’s Robin Le Normand.

The defender is, apparently, available for €50m/£43m according to CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano.

“The price for Le Normand is the release clause: €50m,” he said in his Daily Briefing (h/t CaughtOffside).

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At 27 years of age, Le Normand has the relevant top-flight experience under his belt and that makes him an attractive proposition for both Premier League outfits.

Whether either club firm up their obvious interest in the player either in January or next summer remains to be seen.

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Manchester United are reportedly interested in the potential transfer of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, though they could face competition from Real Madrid.

This is according to a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes, who claim that the Red Devils have an eye on both Zubimendi and his Sociedad teammate Takefusa Kubo.

Man Utd recently had scouts at the La Liga clash between Sociedad and Mallorca, while it’s also been reported by the Guardian that Sir Jim Ratcliffe highlighted Casemiro as a poor recent signing by the club.

This could all point towards United targeting Zubimendi as an upgrade in that area of the pitch, though it seems Real Madrid also like the player, who has impressed a lot in the Spanish top flight.

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Los Blancos have some top young midfield players like Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, but it’s also the case that ageing duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric will soon need replacing.

Zubimendi could therefore be a perfect signing for United or Madrid, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on his situation and see what could happen to him next.

The post Manchester United rival Real Madrid for potential transfer of ideal Casemiro replacement appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo as a potential transfer target for the future, despite links with Manchester United.

That’s according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano in the latest edition of his exclusive column for the Daily Briefing, with the journalist also stating his opinion that Kubo is a top talent who could do a job for a bigger club, even if nothing is likely to happen imminently.

Man Utd could do with a replacement for Jadon Sancho as it looks like he’ll surely be leaving Old Trafford this January, but it remains to be seen if Kubo will be a realistic target for the Red Devils.

The talented young Japan international surely has a big future at the highest level of the game, but Real Madrid already seem to have earmarked him as someone who could be worth looking at.

“Jadon Sancho’s situation will also be important to see if they do something in the offensive positions or not,” Romano said.

“There is still no price for Sancho, it will be important to see if it’s a permanent transfer or a loan – they will be open to any opportunity, though of course they’d probably favour a permanent transfer. Still, they know that in January it won’t be easy to find someone willing to pay something in the region of, and this is just my opinion, £50-55m, is not going to be easy. There is no change at the moment, no apology from Sancho, so it looks 90% over between him and the club.

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“In terms of replacing Sancho, there have been reports about Takefusa Kubo and in my opinion he would be a fantastic option, Kubo is a top player. But I’m afraid there’s absolutely nothing concrete happening there from what I’m told.

“Kubo is a crucial player for Real Sociedad, also Real Madrid are still keeping an eye on him for the future. I’m not aware of any talk with other clubs at this stage, and I don’t think it’s one for January honestly.”

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Manchester United are reportedly interested in the potential transfer of Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo ahead of January.

The Red Devils have not been particularly convincing so far this season, and one imagines a priority for Erik ten Hag this winter will be to make changes in attack, with Jadon Sancho and Antony both proving disappointing in the last couple of years.

According to Todo Fichajes, one replacement seemingly on the club’s radar is Kubo, who has looked hugely impressive in La Liga this season and who has a release clause of just €60million.

The 22-year-old Japan international looks like a player with a big future, so that €60m could end up looking like a bargain in just a year or two.

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It will be interesting to watch what happens with Sancho this January, as one imagines United would need to make decent money from his sale in order to fund a top class replacement.

Kubo will surely have other suitors soon if he carries on performing as he is, so it will be worth watching for updates on his situation in the weeks and months ahead.

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