Martin Zubimendi is training with the club ahead of Real Sociedad’s upcoming friendly. Things are still a little difficult.

Real Sociedad reminded Liverpool that Martin Zubimendi is not yet a Reds player by featuring the midfielder prominently on their new pre-season friendly team design.

Liverpool are looking for a new number six as manager Arne Slot prepares for his first Premier League game in charge, and Zubimendi appears to be the man. The Spain international, however, has a release clause of just over £51.5 million, and it appears unlikely that he will transfer to Anfield for much less than that.

He isn’t the only La Real midfielder generating Premier League interest this summer. Mikel Merino, another part of Spain’s successful Euro 2024 side, is still a target for Arsenal.

Merino was left out of the travelling squad that will face Union Berlin in Germany on Friday, although Zubimendi was included, according to the team graphic. He has continued to exercise with his teammates, and the club appears to be hopeful that he will stay.

According to The Mail, Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil is leading the push to keep the 25-year-old on board. According to sources, this included reminding Zubimendi of his quality of life in San Sebastian.

Earlier in the week, it appeared that La Real were prepared to lose Zubimendi. However, their last-ditch efforts to persuade him to change his mind may still be successful.

Zubimendi did not play in his club’s most recent friendly, a 2-0 loss to Rennes, but he is still in contention despite returning later than some of his teammates after international duty. He played 45 minutes of the Euro 2024 final as Spain defeated England in a thrilling late comeback.

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Martin Zubimendi playing for Real Sociedad in 2024 ( Image: Getty Images)

Zubimendi has amassed a large following after making his Real Sociedad debut. Among them is former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who managed the player at Real Sociedad B before joining his current club Bayer Leverkusen.

“Martin’s a player all coaches would want,” Alonso told The Guardian in 2022. “He’s generous, he always thinks more about his teammates than himself.

“He has that ability to generate play, to make those around him better, always offering solutions; to improve the move. He understands what the next step is before the ball gets to him. He has that ability to organise, the axis. I loved working with him.”

The fondness appeared to be mutual, with Zubimendi pointing to the “wonderful” months he spent learning from Alonso. “With him I started to truly understand concepts for bringing the ball out, building play,” he said. “He insisted a lot on the analysis. We would walk it through, inflatables positioned where the opposition would be.”

Liverpool has a race against time to complete a signing before their debut Premier League season under new manager Slot. They play Ipswich Town at midday on August 17.