Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe has said he is not concerned about the prospect of Martin Zubimendi leaving the club in January.

The midfielder has attracted interest from several of Europe’s top clubs this year, with a move to Liverpool failing through last summer. Zubimendi chose to remain with his boyhood club but has still been linked with a transfer away from Sociedad ever since.

Manchester City has been strongly linked with a January move for the 25-year-old, although reports in several outlets over the weekend indicated that the reigning Premier League champions won’t make an approach for Zubimendi during the season.

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Reports in Spain had also suggested that he has a €60m ($62m/£50m) release clause, something Olabe seemed to confirm in a recent interview, however, the Sociedad chief added he is not concerned about losing Zubimendi in January.

“There’s little peace of mind about the clauses, but throughout this time Martin himself has shown us that above the clauses are the will,” Olabe told Estadio Deportivo. “So far, we have seen how he has behaved, I don’t foresee any scares in January.”

Despite City’s interest in the player, Zubimendi remains someone Liverpool admires. Arne Slot identified the need for a no.6 last summer and, although he missed out on his ideal candidate, could look to return for Zubimendi ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, even with the excellent form of Ryan Gravenberch.

The Dutchman has enjoyed a transformative second season at Anfield and has excelled playing in a deeper role, often alongside Alexis Mac Allister.

As for Zubimendi, he has played 21 times for Sociedad this term and has missed just one La Liga match. Should Liverpool hope to sign him next summer, it will have to convince the Spanish international that now is the right time to depart the club he has represented for his entire career.

Asked recently about why he turned down a move to Anfield last summer, Zubimendi told El Diario Vasco : “I reacted when the situation arose. It was an uncomfortable time for me but I weighed the pros and cons and concluded that the best option was to stay.

“I looked at my personal progression, who I am, and the club’s project. I stayed because I knew this season would be important for me in the team, and I still had steps to take. It wasn’t that hard of a decision.”

“There were many reasons for my decision, but I was selfish and thought about what was best for me. And that was staying.”