‘I still keep saying’: Liverpool insider makes intriguing Martin Zubimendi contract point ahead of January

Empire of the Kop

·27 September 2024

‘I still keep saying’: Liverpool insider makes intriguing Martin Zubimendi contract point ahead of January

Martin Zubimendi seems, for all intents and purposes, a potential transfer that’s dead in the water for Liverpool as things currently stand.

The Reds’ interest in the Spain international remains, of course, though high-profile reporting on the matter makes clear the holding midfielder has yet to change his mind over a January exit.

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Intriguingly, however, David Lynch now suggests it’s worthwhile for fans to keep an eye on this situation as it may potentially change course ahead of the next window.

“Those conversations have got to happen between him and Sociedad [in order to facilitate a potential exit],” the reporter spoke on Anfield Agenda’s YouTube channel.

“I still keep saying every time that he still hasn’t signed that contract, so keep an eye on that one. That’s interesting. I thought it was going to be a condition of him staying there (that he’d get a pay bump).

“Also, beyond that pay bump, it was always [about] finding out what that release clause was worth. Clearly that hasn’t happened yet. Sociedad have had a poor start, which means are they going to be in contention for much come the end of the season? It’s already looking like they might not be.

“Come January, he could have a decisive moment in terms of knowing where Sociedad’s season is heading. If that’s the case, nobody from Liverpool has told me that bridges have been burned.

“As long as that’s the case, you’d like to think there’s some slim possibility, but so much depends on the player and whether he’d turn to Sociedad and say, ‘look, I actually do want to go this time, this is the time to make the move’. We haven’t had any indication from Spain that that’s the case yet.”

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Zubimendi’s current terms are set to run until the summer of 2027.

Could Liverpool take advantage of Martin Zubimendi’s contract uncertainty?

Martin Zubimendi battles with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr – (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

There’s not necessarily an immediate rush for Real Sociedad to consider offers for their star man in the upcoming window. Certainly, they can afford to wait until the summer, by which point there’ll be two years remaining on the 25-year-old’s terms and plenty of value to squeeze if need be.

The question for the footballer himself, however, is whether his love for San Sebastian outweighs his competitive desire.

Currently, Imanol Alguacil’s men look in serious danger of failing to reach the European spots for the first time during the 53-year-old’s tenure as manager.

Is that a tenable situation for the Liverpool transfer target? Only time will tell.

Could Manchester City replace Rodri with Zubimendi?

The players are, indeed, two separate profiles and it’s worth highlighting that signing a player of Martin Zubimendi’s calibre to fill in for Rodri for half a season might not appeal to the former.

There’s also the reality to consider that the Sociedad star wouldn’t necessarily be more moved by Manchester City’s profile and offering than Liverpool’s.

Ultimately, his decision to stay put in San Sebastian had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of our offer – La Real simply won the war for their No.4’s heart.

Still, whilst the defensive midfielder remains one of the most talented operators in his position, links will inevitably persist with the incumbent league champions.

One report from TEAMtalk (via CaughtOffside), for instance, claims that Zubimendi is one of the names on Pep Guardiola’s list to fill Rodri’s boots.

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