Real Sociedad are reportedly resigned to losing Mikel Merino this summer as he attracts interest from big clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
This is according to a report from the Daily Mirror, who state that the Gunners could therefore be in with a chance of signing Merino on the cheap, possibly for as little as £25million.
The Spain international looks like he could be a good fit for Arsenal after impressing in La Liga and also showing his quality despite not being an automatic starter for Spain as they won Euro 2024 this summer.
Arsenal are a little short of midfield options at the moment, with Mikel Arteta surely in need of an upgrade on the ageing and injury-prone Thomas Partey, while Jorginho is also not getting any younger and surely won’t be expected to be a regular starter for the north London giants in the season to come.
Merino could, therefore, fit the bill in terms of the profile of player Arsenal are looking for, without costing a fortune as well due to the fact that the Mirror suggest he won’t be signing a new deal with Sociedad.
Arsenal tend to prefer signing younger players, so it might be that they’re biding their time with this one and seeing if anyone else becomes available any time soon.
Still, Merino looks a realistic target who’d be there for the taking, and it would surely be good business by AFC to get in there fast in case the likes of Barca and Atletico step up their interest in the near future.
It’s been a quiet summer for Arsenal so far, though Riccardo Calafiori is likely to be on his way soon, as Fabrizio Romano has recently explained in his exclusive Daily Briefing column for CaughtOffside.
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