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Manchester City ae reportedly eyeing a move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who rejected a move to Liverpool in August

Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad(Image: Getty Images)

Manchester City reportedly want to "take advantage" of Martin Zubimendi's failure to sign an extension with Real Sociedad and sign the midfielder in January.

Liverpool made a move for the Euro 2024 winner in August, tabling an offer in the region of £51m to activate a release clause in his contract with the La Liga outfit. However, Zubimendi decided against moving to Anfield to join Arne Slot's side, instead opting to stay with his boyhood club.

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Last week, the 25-year-old insisted he didn't regret his decision to reject Liverpool's approach and stay at Sociedad despite the San Sebastian outfit sitting 15th in La Liga with just two wins from the first nine games of the campaign.

According to Relevo, though, Zubimendi could be the subject of further interest from the Premier League in January with Manchester City eyeing a move for the midfielder after Rodri suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last month's clash against Arsenal.

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But if City are to sign Zubimendi, they would need to succeed where Liverpool failed and convince the Spain international to leave Sociedad, which could prove problematic after the player admitted he was happy with his decision to stay with Imanol Alguacil's side.

“Of course I don’t regret it (after La Real’s early season struggles), I can’t think that after four or five games at the start of the season," Zubimendi told Noticias de Gipuzkoa. "I made my decision from within, I thought it was the best thing to do, the results don’t affect me. I see potential in this team, you just have to watch us train and I’m excited about having a good season."

However, City's pursuit of the midfielder could be aided by the fact that he has yet to sign a new contract with Sociedad. Therefore, his £51m buy-out clause remains active in his deal until June 2027.

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At Liverpool, meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch has assumed defensive midfield responsibilities for Slot's side and was named the Reds' Player of the Month for September last week after a stellar start to the new season.