Ahead of the January transfer window, Arsenal have informed Chelsea and other suitors that they will demand at least £60 million to part ways with midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
Zubimendi has gone down the pecking order under manager Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
Despite a promising start, his prominence diminished towards the end of last season and has been further limited this term following the signing of Bruno Guimaraes.
Arteta now primarily favours a midfield pairing of Guimaraes and Declan Rice, with Myles Lewis-Skelly also providing an option, leaving Zubimendi with limited playing time.
Zubimendi has managed only 380 minutes across 12 matches in all competitions this season.
According to The Independent, Arsenal’s desire to sign a new forward in January may depend on a major sale, and Zubimendi would be an obvious candidate to be moved on, although the Gunners would want to recoup at least the £60m they paid for him 16 months ago.
The report added that Chelsea will have to battle the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad for Zubimendi’s signature.