Arsenal rejected! Martin Zubimendi not interested in joining Mikel Arteta's team as midfielder puts two clubs ahead of Gunners ahead of possible summer transfer

Mikel Arteta is reportedly a big fan of the Spanish defensive midfielder and has been looking to bring him to the Premier League. However, Sport claims that the 25-year-old is not interested in joining the Gunners and will only leave La Real for one of two specific clubs.

As per the report, the Gunners target is only interested in approaches from Barcelona and Real Madrid as he wants to remain in Spain instead of switching countries. Barcelona have shown a lot of interest in the Basque midfielder alongside Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich. However, their weak economic position could be an issue going forward.

Arsenal are also reportedly looking into the availability of other defensive midfielders after Zubimendi's rejection. Their shortlist currently includes the likes of Benfica's Joao Neves, Everton's Amadou Onana, Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes and Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz.

The 25-year-old has been called up to the Spanish national team squad by Luis de la Fuente for the Euros in Germany. He is not expected to be the starting pivot for La Roja with Manchester City's Rodri expected to start.