Martin Zubimendi cools Arsenal talk, Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso his ‘idol’

Martín Zubimendi has claimed his future remains open despite strong links to Arsenal, and admits new Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is his “idol.”

Arsenal have been working on a deal for the Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder for a number of months and sources have told ESPN that a deal is close, pending a medical.

Zubimendi, however, has insisted he doesn’t know how the summer transfer window will play out. Arsenal, Madrid and Liverpool — who the 26-year-old turned down last summer — are all options, while a stay at Sociedad is also on the table.

“Of course there are options, but it’s true that it looks like it’s going to be a different, long summer, and I don’t know how it’s going to end,” Zubimendi told Radio Nacional from the Spain national team’s camp.

“Right now, thinking about it isn’t my priority. I’m here with the national team, which is already quite demanding, and if I have to say something, then I will.”

Last week, Zubimendi posted photos from his Instagram account showing him at a beach in San Sebastian, after reports that he was in the United Kingdom for an Arsenal medical.

He explained: “It’s an example of what surrounds the world of football. Sometimes I wake up and read things I didn’t know I’d done, and that was an example.

“It’s true that I don’t take it too seriously, but with those photos I wanted to emphasise that that wasn’t the reality of what was happening.”

While Zubimendi, who has spent his whole career at Sociedad, categorises a move to Madrid as another “hypothesis,” he has said Alonso is one of his idols.

“I’ve always said that he was my idol and that for me it was a stroke of luck that he was able to coach me in the reserve team in a very important year,” Zubimendi added.

“[But] I don’t like to talk about those hypotheses, I like to talk about the present. I think it would be disrespectful to answer a question [about a Madrid move] while I’m in the national team, and facing such an important competition.”

Spain play France in a Nations League semifinal on Thursday.