Barcelona's push to sign Spain captain Rodri could trigger a midfield domino effect with Enzo Maresca reportedly willing to raid former club Chelsea to sign Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, either side of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Chelsea have set an August 15th deadline for any bids in the region of £120M to be considered.
A double move - of Rodri heading to Catalonia and Fernandez to Manchester - would leave Chelsea short in midfield and Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi could be an option.
Zubimendi has worked with Xabi Alonso before at Real Sociedad and his spot at the Gunners is under threat following the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes.
The 27-year-old played 57 games in his debut year in North London, with six goals scored, but he's playing catch up in preseason following Spain's World Cup win.
Real Madrid were linked with an offer for the Basque schemer prior to his move to Arsenal last summer, and Los Blancos could challenge Chelsea, if Zubimendi is unconvinced by his place in Arteta's plans moving forward.