Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has decided which midfielder he wants to sign this summer, and it's not Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz.

The Gunners have had a difficult few days, haven't they?

They suffered a shock defeat at home against Aston Villa last weekend and then crashed out of the Champions League following a 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich.

Those two games proved that Arsenal need reinforcements in multiple areas of the pitch this summer, and a new midfielder is expected to be high on the agenda.

Arteta has now made his mind up over who he wants in the middle of his park.

Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho are both out of contract this summer, while Thomas Partey has been linked with a move away from the club.

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That leaves the Gunners with just Declan Rice in that number six role, which is not ideal at all in a season where they will play over 50 games.

Arsenal need a new defensive midfielder this summer, and Douglas Luiz has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

However, GiveMeSport claim that Mikel Arteta is 'expecting Luiz to stay on Villa's books' and doesn't feel the Brazilian will 'agitate for a move' if Unai Emery's side finish where they are in the table right now - fourth.

That's why Arsenal have turned their attention to Martin Zubimendi, with the report claiming that Arteta would much rather have the Real Sociedad midfielder.

Zubimendi has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal for a year now, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arteta and his coaching staff reportedly think he is 'perfect' for their side.

Martin Zubimendi's stance on joining Arsenal after previously rejecting them Arsenal have wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi for over a year now.

The Spaniard is one of the best defensive midfielders in La Liga, and it is clear that Mikel Arteta thinks he would be a great fit in his Arsenal side.

However, when the North Londoners wanted to sign him in January 2023, Zubimendi decided to reject them and stayed at Real Sociedad instead.

Now, things are different.

Just two months ago, it was revealed that Arteta personally spoke to Zubimendi about a move to Arsenal and the midfielder is now ready to switch San Sebastian for North London.

That is great news if you're an Arsenal fan.