Martin Zubimendi has played 99 Premier League minutes this season. Every one of them from the bench.

That is the awkward backdrop to a report from Miguel Delaney in The Independent on Tuesday, which puts Chelsea, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid on standby to test Arsenal for the 27-year-old Spain international in the January window. Arsenal signed him from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2025 and tied him down until 2030, yet he now sits behind Declan Rice, £75m summer arrival Bruno Guimarães and Myles Lewis-Skelly in Mikel Arteta’s midfield.

TEAMtalk reports that seven European clubs (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Liverpool) have been made aware the player wants out, with Arsenal weighing a loan as one of the options on the table.

The Atlético angle

Atlético Madrid have the deepest history in this one. Spanish radio station RNE reported last week, through journalist Silvia Barba, that Zubimendi is close to joining Diego Simeone’s side in January.

Read also: Lamine Yamal to miss Spain’s trip to Prague, targeting return against England

Madrid daily AS has floated a straight swap with Julián Álvarez moving to the Emirates in the other direction, according to Football Today, which cited both clubs’ existing working relationship as a reason the idea is being taken seriously in Spain. No formal talks have been opened.

Arsenal are expected to want to recoup the £59.5m they paid for Zubimendi, with the player tied to the club until 2030.

Pressure on a title-chasing squad

Arsenal are top of the Premier League with 27 points from 10 games, five clear of Brighton after a 1-0 home win over Hull City. Arteta signed a contract extension until 2030 last month on the back of May’s long-awaited title.

Zubimendi is not the only unsettled senior name in the squad. Striker Viktor Gyökeres is losing minutes to Kai Havertz, and Mikel Merino has been pushed down the midfield order, both reportedly open to a move.

Read also: Fox faces World Cup competition as Netflix and YouTube eye broadcasting rights

At Stamford Bridge, the push for Zubimendi runs through Xabi Alonso. The Chelsea manager, appointed in May on a four-year deal, has had a rocky start, his side fifth after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland at the weekend.

The January window opens on 1 January 2027.

Read also: It has to be Holloway’: McGregor sets terms for final UFC fight