GOOD NEWS: Martin Zubimendi was believed to be Mikel Arteta’s top target.

Arsenal make £43m ‘formal’ bid for Arteta ‘obsession’ as club ‘fear his departure

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 the final day of the campaign.

Arsenal 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.