- Gunners spending big in summer window
- Held talks regarding Portuguese midfielder
- Unable to agree a deal with German giants
The Gunners always intended to acquire 西班牙 international Zubimendi, with a £60 million ($80m) transfer being completed with 皇家社會. He was, however, not the only midfielder that Mikel Arteta had on his recruitment radar.
According to Bild 兵工廠 made a serious play for Portuguese star Palhinha before Bayern headed to the FIFA Club 世界盃. He is a player with 英超聯賽 experience from a spell at 富勒姆.
Palhinha left Craven Cottage for the Allianz Arena in 2024 for £48m ($64m). He endured a testing debut campaign in 德國 – despite becoming a 德甲聯賽 title winner – with only seven league starts taken in while sitting out two months through injury.
It is claimed that Bayern were willing to offload Palhinha back to English football for around £26m ($35m), as they took a hefty financial hit on the 30-year-old, but Arsenal were unable to agree a deal during transfer talks.
Despite missing out on Palhinha, Arteta has been able to add Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga to his ranks. Deals for 切爾西 winger Noni Madueke and Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres are also in the pipeline.
