Atletico Madrid have distanced themselves from a January move for Martin Zubimendi, with reports in Spain instead pointing to Chelsea as the most likely destination should the Arsenal midfielder leave. The player himself has said he is content at Arsenal and has no plans to go anywhere.

Atletico deny any intention

On Tuesday night, Antonio Ruiz, a Spanish journalist, said on El Partidazo de COPE that Atletico had dismissed the idea that they were pursuing an agreement. "Reliable sources of Atletico Madrid have denied it and negotiations have been ruled out, nor is there any intention of signing Zubimendi in January," he said, adding that the club's answer was "neither a negotiation or an intention".

Metro reports that Atletico's Alex Baena, a Spain teammate of Zubimendi, had said earlier in the week that the Arsenal man would be a "great addition" to the Spanish side.

'I'm happy there'

Zubimendi addressed the speculation directly. Speaking to the media, he said he had been taken aback by some of the coverage: "I've also read that I might be close (to a move), but not at all." He added that he had not "spent any energy on it" and had not contacted anyone.

In an interview with Marca, he said Mikel Arteta had explained the plan for his minutes before the season began, warning him that new signings would mean competition for places. "I'm calm and happy with how I'm handling this situation," he said.

Zubimendi, who confirmed he is under contract until 2030, said he hopes to remain at Arsenal for the rest of the 2026/27 campaign: "Yes, I hope so. I'm happy there."

Chelsea links persist

Ruiz said he had contacted someone in Zubimendi's entourage, who was "very calm", and that Chelsea, with Xabi Alonso, would be the best-placed option rather than Atletico in the event of an exit. Metro reports that Chelsea are leading the race for the midfielder according to reports in Spain.

After moving from Real Sociedad to Arsenal last year for £60 million, Zubimendi was heavily involved in his debut campaign as the club claimed the Premier League title and made the Champions League final. So far this season, he has not started any of 10 Premier League matches, and competition has grown since Arsenal brought in Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United during the summer. Tom Canton reported for Football.London that Zubimendi remains valued by Arteta and retains credit at the club.

Photo: Martin Addison via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, resized.