Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is supposedly pushing the La Liga giants to swoop for Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi, in what would be a head-turning move at the end of the transfer window.

The 27-year-old only arrived at the Emirates Stadium in a £55million move from Real Sociedad last season. Zubimendi’s first season in North London was an undoubted success, playing more than 4,000 minutes across 57 appearances as he helped the side to the Premier League title.

The Spaniard is known for doing the not-so-glamorous work in the centre of the park, but still chipped in with a solid six goals and three assists from defensive midfield. However, that does not necessarily mean that Arsenal should block all transfer offers.

Real Madrid interested in Arsenal midfielder

Via Reuters

In a report, TEAMtalk claims that Real Madrid have already held discussions with Arsenal and that the player’s representatives are weighing up opportunities away from London. It’s added that the Gunners are open to selling Zubimendi, despite the midfielder having another four years left on his contract.

Real Madrid are said to be long-term admirers of Zubimendi, who was thoroughly impressive in La Liga with Real Sociedad. The player has made 180 appearances in the Spanish top flight.

The Galacticos are set to miss out on the signing of Manchester City man Rodri, who will sign for fierce rivals Barcelona, and are looking for an extra body in the centre of the park to allow Eduardo Camavinga to leave.

Martin Zubimendi offers Arsenal unique profile

Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Ultimately, Arsenal must not fight to sell Zubimendi. The Spaniard was a key cog in the title-winning machine last season and brings a calmness to proceedings. The player is only going to improve over the upcoming campaign, having now adjusted to the football and life in England.

It’s easy to understand where the transfer speculation comes from. Myles Lewis-Skelly had been preferred in midfield towards the end of last season and the marquee arrival of Bruno Guimaraes provides serious competition for Zubimendi.

Zubimendi was only handed a cameo off the bench against Manchester City in the Community Shield and will face a tougher fight to get into the side over the upcoming season.

Martin Zubimendi 2025/26 statistics

However, the player offers Arteta and Arsenal a different profile to that of Guimaraes, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard. Zubimendi is a more conservative and cautious option – the only similar profile at the club was Christian Norgaard, who has left for Everton this summer.

That is not to say that Arsenal must hang up on any calls that come in for Zubimendi, should Mourinho be truly interested in bringing the player back to Spain. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claim that the Gunners have slapped a £77million price tag on the star.

That’s a loftier fee than the £65million sum Manchester City have pocketed for Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. Should Real Madrid come with an offer around that ballpark, given the number of options in midfield, Arsenal must consider a sale, but are in a position to call the shots.

Roy Keane has always been happy to share his opinions of those he’s played with and against throughout his career, and his verdict on the toughest midfielders of his era is no different.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football back in 2019, the Manchester United legend was asked to reflect on the standout midfielders he faced during his playing days.

Rather than reaching for the obvious superstar names, he singled out three players who gave him more than just a hard time during one of the most thrilling eras in Premier League history.

It says plenty about the players in question, given Keane’s well-documented rivalry with former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira.

What Roy Keane Said About His Toughest Opponents

It’s a distinctly British trio that Keane singled out over the likes of Vieira, with the Irishman explaining exactly what made facing them such a challenge:

The 55-year-old, who retired in 2006 before moving into coaching and punditry, didn’t hold back on just how physical those battles could get. “And, again, Gary was pretty nasty. Batty was nasty. People always remember me kicking people – a lot of these lads were kicking me! I was just retaliating over the years, that’s all.”

All three built reputations as combative, tenacious midfielders. Batty was renowned as one of the hardest tacklers of his generation, particulary in his time with hometown club Leeds United. Lee offered a physical, box-to-box presence, and Speed combined a tireless work-rate with genuine quality across two decades at the top level.

Trio Starred For Kevin Keegan at Newcastle

All three players were key figures for Newcastle, with Lee and Batty featuring in the late Kevin Keegan’s side of the mid-1990s, which came agonisingly close to ending their long wait for a league title, finishing just four points behind Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the unforgettable 1995/96 title race.

The Magpies famously led by as many as 12 points before United reeled them in, with Batty and Lee part of the engine room that kept “The Entertainers” competing at the top of the table throughout that campaign.

It remains the closest Newcastle have ever come to Premier League glory.

A popular WWE Superstar may have wrestled their final match for the company after being written off television last month, according to a new report.

Former four-time women’s world champion Bayley last wrestled on WWE television when she lost to Lyra Valkyria at Saturday Night’s Main Event on the 18th of July.

On the following episode of WWE Raw, Bayley was seemingly eliminated from storylines when Lyra claimed to have run the 37-year-old out of the promotion.

Why WWE Wrote Popular Superstar Off Television

According to eWrestlingNews, the company opted to remove the legendary Superstar from television as she had not yet signed a new contract.

Curiously, Bayley has wrestled for WWE since, most recently appearing on a live event in her home state of California on July 26th.

However, far from wanting to clear up speculation about her future, the veteran has played into the rumours on social media. She recently took to Instagram, reposting a fan’s ‘Where’s Bayley’ sign to her story on the platform.

Even more controversially, Bayley posted a video hinting that she may join rival promotion All Elite Wrestling [AEW]. The clip showed her training alongside current AEW star Mercedes Mone (previously Sasha Banks in WWE). The montage was also set to a song entitled ‘All In’, which is the name of one of AEW’s biggest pay-per-view shows.

If she is simply trying to hype up her eventual return to WWE, it appears that officials within the company weren’t aware of the plan. Per a report from WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, the video did not “land well with everyone” and it was viewed by some backstage in WWE as “eyebrow-raising.”

Much-Loved WWE Superstar Yet To Decide on Their Future

Ultimately, though, the decision of whether she remains with WWE lies with Bayley herself. Per the latest reports, a new contract remains on the table and the choice of whether to re-sign is said to be “entirely up to her.”

Bayley signed her first WWE contract in December 2012, ultimately making it to the main roster four years later. It is believed that her current deal still has several months to run, meaning that, should she decide to leave WWE, she likely won’t be able to debut elsewhere until early 2027.

WWE has left the door open for Bayley to return, with a natural storyline with Valkyria waiting if she does commit to a new deal.