Arsenal £51m transfer proving ‘difficult’ as Guimaraes ‘agreement’ hands Arteta boost

Arsenal have hit a stumbling block in their pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi and may be forced to look elsewhere, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be keen on signing a new deep-lying midfielder in the summer transfer window and has reportedly admired Zubimendi for quite some time.

There are several midfield players being linked with a move to the Emirates, including Aston Villa s Douglas Luiz .

Both players are expected to cost north of £80million, which is far from ideal, but they have proven themselves to be top Premier League players and would undoubtedly improve Arteta s starting XI.

Mohamed Elneny is expected to leave the Gunners when his contract expires this summer, while the futures of Jorginho who is also so…