Martín Zubimendi seems to be closer to transfer with Arsenal this coming summer. The English club, with Arteta, has shown great interest in the player in recent weeks and would be willing to pay the 60 million stipulated in his release clause.
This news puts an end to the speculation about his possible transfer with Barça, which had him on their radar for several seasons. The 25-year-old midfielder, the great pillar of Real Sociedad, seemed to be the ideal piece to replace Sergio Busquets in Barcelona, but with his future headed to London.
Barça Saw Him as the New Busquets
Barcelona had closely followed Zubimendi's development since his early seasons, considering that his playing style, similar to Sergio Busquets's, would fit perfectly at Barça. Martín Zubimendi's ability to recover balls, distribute play, and his vision in the midfield made him the ideal successor to the historic Spanish midfielder.
However, with Arsenal leading the race for his transfer, Barça has been left without the option of having the Real Sociedad midfielder.
Marc Casadó and Bernal Changed Everything
This season, the emergence of young talents from La Masia like Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal has changed the midfield outlook. Both players are shaping up to be the future and present pivots of Barça. Casadó, with his ability to recover balls and provide balance to the team, and Bernal, with his vision of the game, have the necessary qualities to follow in Sergio Busquets's footsteps.
Barça's sports management trusts that both players, still young, have enough potential to become key pieces. In fact, Casadó already is with Flick.
Deco Wants to Close the Deal with the New Pivot
In this regard, Barça will continue to trust in La Masia and renew Pau Prim, a midfielder from the reserve team whose contract ends this summer. His renewal is a clear message that Barça continues to bet on the youth academy as the main source of talent.
The renewal of Pau Prim underscores Barcelona's desire to continue feeding their team with players from La Masia. However, Pau Prim is still asking for a gesture from Flick to agree to renew, because so far, he hasn't played.