Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd's £61.5m target poised for 'talks' with Liverpool

Manchester United-linked Martin Zubimeni has emerged on the radar of Premier League rivals Liverpool as Real Sociedad face a battle to keep hold of him this summer, according to reporter Fabrizio Romano. He has been identified by Arne Slot as a potential target in this window as he looks to put his own stamp on his newly inherited squad after taking over from Jurgen Klopp.

As per HITC Sport, the Red Devils have shown ‘interest’ in luring him to Old Trafford. However, in this latest update, they will face competition. Journalist Romano has posted on X: “Liverpool are exploring move for Martin Zubimendi as new midfielder, as there’s €60m (£51.5m) release clause into his contract. Talks will follow between clubs and on player side.”

United could see Zubimendi, who is 25-years-old, as someone to bolster their midfield ranks. It would be a blow to lose out on his signature to Liverpool as they pair prepare to battle it out in the next campaign. The San Sebastian-born man has made 10 caps for Spain so far in his career. He helped his country win Euro 2024 in July after they beat England in the final in Berlin. Luis de la Fuente brought him on as a half-time substitute for Rodri.

Zubimendi caught the eye over in Germany and his performances have planted him on the radar of other teams over recent times. He has been on the books at Real Sociedad for his whole career to date and has risen up through their academy ranks.

He was a regular for the La Liga outfit at various different youth levels before making his debut in 2019. The 5ft 11inc man hasn’t looked back since and has made 187 appearances in all competitions and chipped in with seven goals.

Speaking back in 2022 in an interview with The Guardian, former Liverpool player and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso explained the quality of Zubimendi: “Martin’s a player all coaches would want. He’s generous, he always thinks more about his teammates than himself. He has that ability to generate play, to make those around him better, always offering solutions; to improve the move. He understands what the next step is before the ball gets to him. He has that ability to organise the axis. I loved working with him.”

Zubimendi himself added: “I wasn’t even with him (Alonso) a full season because of the pandemic but those were lovely months. It was when he came that I started playing more; with Xabi, I got a run of games. I could feel the affection he had for me, which maybe comes from having the same position. He made a point of trying to show me things, teaching me.

“With him, I learned to recognise and differentiate [types of] presses, overcoming them. Before then, I played the way that more or less came naturally. With him I started to truly understand concepts for bringing the ball out, building play. He insisted a lot on the analysis. We would walk it through, inflatables positioned where the opposition would be.”