Chelsea's head coach Xabi Alonso has set his sights on signing 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder Martin Subimende.
Alonso is well acquainted with the talents of the anchorman, having overseen Subimende's early steps into professional football at Real Sociedad B before he graduated to the first team.
Reasons for a potential exit from Arsenal
Subimende joined Arsenal last summer from Real Sociedad for £55.8 million. Despite a promising start, by the end of the season he lost his guaranteed spot in Mikel Arteta's starting XI.
Competition and the signing of Guimaraes: The expected transfer of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle to Arsenal could significantly limit Subimende's playing time.
Declan Rice's role: Experts point out that with new players flooding into the midfield, Subimende finds it challenging to assert himself as the primary 'metronome' of the team.
Rare transfers between rivals
Transfers directly from Arsenal to Chelsea have become a rarity in the 21st century—the last instance was Olivier Giroud's switch in 2018.
Previously, Alonso has publicly hailed Subimende as a "player any manager would want" due to his team-oriented style, intelligence, and ability to drive attacks. With Alonso now in full control of Chelsea's transfer strategy, this high-profile move seems well within the realms of possibility.
