Arsenal are reportedly “getting closer” to a transfer deal for Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Mikel Merino, according to journalist Kike Marin.
Merino impressed at the Euros this summer even though he wasn’t always able to get off the bench and onto the pitch for the eventual winners of the tournament, and this follows some strong form in La Liga last season as well.
The 28-year-old has been strongly linked with the Gunners by the Daily Mirror, who have claimed that Sociedad are resigned to losing the player due to the fact that he has just one year left on his contract and doesn’t seem set to sign a new one.
See below as Kike Marin now has another update, saying Merino and Arsenal look to be getting closer…
Cada vez más cerca del #Arsenal Mikel Arteta y Mikel Merino. https://t.co/uK6dGcWz0V
— Kike Marin** (@Kike_Marin_) July 22, 2024
The journalist is a little vague about what this means for the moment, but he’s previously posted about Arsenal’s interest, and how it could be a good move to get Merino linking up with Martin Odegaard again, with the Gunners captain having had a successful loan spell with Sociedad in the past.
Merino transfer looks important for Arsenal
Arsenal could do with strengthening in midfield, so Merino makes sense as an upgrade on the ageing and injury-prone Thomas Partey, while Jorginho is also surely now at the stage where he can’t be expected to play 90 minutes on a regular basis.
It could also be good for AFC to bring in someone who’s recently won something, as that success in going all the way in a major tournament could be useful experience for a club looking to do better in this year’s title race after two near-misses in a row.
It will be interesting to see how this saga develops and if anyone else joins the race for Merino, who looks a tempting option due to his contract situation, as Sociedad surely have to sell for below market value now or else lose him on a free next summer.