Spanish press claim Real Madrid are ‘set to sign’ £60m Arsenal star in January in rare transfer

Listen, let’s be entirely honest for a single moment: Real Madrid doing business in the January transfer window is about as rare as finding a unicorn grazing on the pristine turf of the Santiago Bernabéu.

Los Blancos haven’t dipped their toes into a winter market since way back in 2019, preferring to sit back like high-society royalty while the rest of Europe scrambles in the January sales. But as the old saying goes, desperation is a remarkably powerful motivator.

After striking out spectacularly on their grand summer pipe dreams of landing Enzo Fernandez and Rodri, because settling is simply not how this club operates, Jose Mourinho’s midfield is looking dangerously fragile.

Enter stage left: Martin Zubimendi, an Arsenal star currently experiencing a swift and brutal descent down the North London pecking order, and frankly, it is about time someone rescued him from that particular disaster.

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It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Spanish maestro since he traded sunny skies for the unpredictable British weather in the summer of 2025.

Zubimendi arrived with high expectations, billed as the ultimate midfield metronome, but has somehow managed to find himself tumbling down the Gunners‘ midfield pecking order faster than anyone anticipated.

The word is that the player is deeply dissatisfied with his current peripheral role, and the folks at Arsenal are allegedly more than willing to show him the exit door if the right cheque, rumoured to be sitting pretty around the £60 million mark, finally lands on their desk.

According to whispers from El Confidencial journalist Javi Roldan via TEAMtalk, the deal is practically written in the stars, with Roldan boldly declaring, “Zubimendi is going to join Real Madrid in the winter window. And, with him being a great footballer, he’s going to be a great signing.”

If true, it’s a deliciously dramatic twist that gives everyone involved exactly what they desperately crave: Arsenal gets rid of a disgruntled squad member, and Zubimendi gets to escape his bench-warming purgatory.

Hindsight is 20/20: Rectifying past mistakes in the Spanish capital

Let us not forget that Real Madrid’s current predicament is entirely of their own making. Before Zubimendi opted for a Premier League adventure in 2025, Los Blancos had him squarely on their radar as the chosen one to fill the gaping, Toni Kroos-shaped void in their engine room.

Did they make a serious move? Of course not; they hesitated, and boy, did they pay for it.

Watching Xabi Alonso, and subsequently Álvaro Arbeloa, struggle to stitch together a coherent midfield during the gruelling 2025-26 campaign must have felt like watching a slow-motion car crash from the VIP lounge.

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Now, lightning just might strike twice, giving Real Madrid a golden second chance to right past wrongs when the window swings open in January 2027.

On paper, Zubimendi is quite literally the missing puzzle piece Mourinho has been crying out for; his ability to dictate the tempo and control the rhythm of a match is a rare luxury that the current Bernabéu squad is sorely lacking.

If Mourinho can pull this off, it won’t just be a smart January reinforcement; it will be a masterclass in a late rescue mission.