Arsenal have ambitious aims for the coming season, and Mikel Arteta has tasked his sporting director Edu with bolstering a number of key positions.
As we have consistently reported, a new midfielder is one of the manager’s priorities amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Thomas Partey.
Partey is reportedly the subject of serious interest from Saudi Arabia and it’s thought that Arteta has deemed the Ghanaian international surplus to requirements.
His potential departure would leave Arsenal with only Declan Rice and Jorginho as their natural defensive midfield options, with Albert Sambi Lokonga set to join Sevilla on loan.
Arsenal are looking at to fill the void is Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino, who has been impressive for Spain at Euro 2024.
Merino has generally been a substitute but has featured in every game of Spain’s Euros campaign so far – playing his role in helping them reach the final. Notably, he scored a winning header against Germany deep in extra-time to book their spot in the semi-final.
Merino has certainty shown he has real quality in Germany and he could be a good partner for Rice in a double pivot for Arsenal.
At the age of 28, he is not the usual profile of player the Gunners have signed in recent years. But the club are reportedly ready to do their due diligence on a deal.
Mikel Arteta is a big admirer of Spain star
Arteta is an admirer of Merino’s talent and physicality, and there is a ‘suggestion’ he could tell Arsenal to stray from their usual age of recruitment to sign him.
While they have generally focused on younger players in recent years they have occasionally done deals for the likes of Jorginho and Leandro Trossard – who’ve proven to be excellent additions.
Merino would bring experience, calmness and strength on the ball and power in the air to Arsenal – and reports suggest he’s ready for the next challenge of his career.
The 6ft2 Spaniard only has 12 months remaining on his contract with Sociedad and according to the report, €25m (£21.1m) would be enough to sign him this summer.
This makes Merino one of Arsenal’s most affordable midfield targets so there are plenty of positives involved in the potential deal.
Merino made 45 appearances for Sociedad last season, scoring eight goals and assisting four in the process.
