Real Madrid had considered a move for Arsenal player this summer but decided he isn’t good enough

Arsenal signing Bruno Guimaraes might be an indication that they are now willing to sell a midfielder.

It has been reported that the Premier League champions have offered rival clubs the chance to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly.

But amid all the noise surrounding Lewis-Skelly’s future, a separate story has emerged about another Arsenal midfielder.

According to Spanish football journalist Latigo Serrano, Arsenal had actually raised the possibility of a player sale during their conversations with Real Madrid during their pursuit of Vinicius Jr.

The player in question was Martin Zubimendi, but Madrid rejected the idea outright.

Real Madrid turned down the chance to sign Martin Zubimendi this summer

Serrano explained in detail why Real Madrid weren’t keen on signing Zubimendi, despite their want for a defensive midfield player.

“At Real Madrid, within the football department, they believe that a player like Zubimendi is not at Real Madrid’s level,” he said. “They believe he’s a very good midfielder.

“They believe he’s a player who, in the environment of Real Sociedad and the Spanish national team, has performed above his actual level.

“But at Arsenal, when the crucial moments of the season arrived, they believe his limitations became apparent and he ended up on the bench.”

Of course, that refers to the crucial point in the season where Zubimendi actually lost his starting berth to Lewis-Skelly, which actually helped turn Arsenal’s form around during the title run-in.

“Then, after a season at Arsenal, in which he started as a regular starter and performed very well, he ended up being a regular substitute during the final three months.

“At Madrid, they believe that his lack of starts during those final three months, that decline in his performance curve, proves their point.”

Real Madrid were unwilling to match Arsenal’s selling price for Martin Zubimendi

Naturally, having only bought him last summer, Arsenal wanted to make a profit on Zubimendi.

“Arsenal wouldn’t have allowed Zubimendi to leave for less than €80million,” Serrano explains. “That’s because they believe transfer prices have exploded this summer.

“Their argument is essentially: ‘We paid €60million for this player a year ago, and if the price of midfielders has increased by 30%, then the value of our midfielder has increased by 30% too.'”

Madrid, having already decided he was not at their level, obviously were never going to pay €80million for a player they didn’t particularly rate.

But in Zubimendi’s defence, he was the only Arsenal player to have played every single Premier League game last season.

The relentless nature of the schedule may have got to him eventually, but the Spaniard’s was a hugely important part of the title win, particularly with his impact in the first half of the season.

Should he stay at the Emirates this summer, he will still get plenty of games, even after the Guimaraes signing.

Mikel Arteta now has Manchester City-level midfield depth, and with Declan Rice needing more this season, Zubimendi is more than an apt solution to provide competition.