Arsenal have made their first formal bid for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi as they look to get ahead of their rivals, according to reports.
The Gunners will be looking to win the Premier League title next season after narrowly missing out to Manchester City on .
did their bit by beating Everton 2-1 but Pep Guardiola s side defeated West Ham 3-1 to seal their fourth consecutive title by two points.
The north Londoners continue to improve every year under Mikel Arteta and they will be hoping to go one better next term by lifting the Premier League crown.
Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, David Raya and Jurrien Timber all joined last summer to increase the quality of the squad depth, although the latter spent most of the season on the sidelines through injury.
But Arteta will be looking to make similar additions over the next few months with a midfielder reportedly one of his key priorities for the summer transfer market.
And Arsenal seem to have made Real Sociedad s Zubimendi their top target in that position with reports in Spain claiming that have now made a formal proposal of around €50m (£43m) .
The Gunners have taken the initiative to fend off interest from other clubs like Barcelona and are showing their determination to strengthen their midfield for next season .
It still falls short of the €60m release clause in Zubimendi s contract but the bid still reflects a serious commitment on the part of the Gunners to secure the young talent .
And it is understood that this first move could trigger a bidding battle between clubs interested in the midfielder despite Zubimendi apparently being happy at Sociedad, who fear his departure .
However, the report adds that interest from like Arsenal and Barcelona could make him consider a change of scenery this summer .
Arsenal boss Arteta obsesses over Zubimendi and while it remains to be seen whether Real Sociedad will accept the initial offer, this first step marks the beginning of the race to sign the Spanish international .
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