We’re almost halfway through the transfer window and Arsenal are yet to properly kick-off with a big piece of business this summer as they look to take the challenge back to Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
After making goalkeeper David Raya’s loan spell from Brentford permanent for a £27million fee, the Gunners haven’t hit the ground running in the same way as last summer which had already seen them sign marquee stars Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice for a combined £195m.
Now they have their sights set on some of European football’s brightest talents after the culmination of the 2024 Euros last week, with Italy centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, Spain’s Dani Olmo and now Real Sociedad and Olmo’s Spain teammate Mikel Merino on their radars, the latter of which would see a significant upgrade the centre of the pitch for the north London outfit over the 2024/25 campaign.
His brilliant performances in all seven of Spain’s Euros matches this summer, including scoring the winning goal late in extra time to beat hosts Germany in the quarter-final, have certainly risen his profile around Europe but it’s said that Arsenal’s fascination with the player actually pre-dates the beginning of the competition. With that being said, here’s all the latest on if and when Merino could make the switch to the Emirates Stadium this summer…
‘Contract of a lifetime’
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, if Merino does sign for Arsenal this summer, it’s likely he’d be getting a ‘contract of a lifetime’ in English football. With just one year left on his current deal in Spain, Merino isn’t likely to hold out for another season if he’s granted a big-time deal with another top European club.
He’d be reunited with former teammate and current Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who previously played alongside Merino in midfield back in the 2019/20 season.
Real Sociedad stance
Earlier this summer, Sociedad’s Sporting Director Roberto Olabe highlighted their desire for Merino to stay but did admit that it could be out of their hands if a large enough offer comes knocking.
“I don’t think Mikel thought about leaving. That wait is not based on ‘I want to leave’. We may come to the conclusion that we prefer performance over money at the time. There are several desires at play. The club’s position is not to sell. But we are not a club in which we do not speculate in this game of performance. And that strengthens us when we go into the market.
Throughout the summer things happen that don’t depend on you. Over time, players have left the club and at that moment it is who stays and how we deal with it. And who is going to come, in the meantime we try to make all our kids see that La Real want to grow and there are many things still to achieve.”
Release clause
It’s believed that Merino has a €65m (£55m) release clause in his contract but is likely to go for a lot less than that. Spanish outlets back in June reported that Hansi Flick, the new Barcelona manager, had made Merino a priority target and wanted to get the star on a transfer fee lower than his release clause.
It means that Arteta could take the same approach when negotiating for the midfielder, who has just one year left on his contract in La Liga.
