Mikel Merino has surfaced as Arsenal’s next target, but Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is encountering a hurdle in finalizing the deal for the Real Sociedad midfielder.
Arsenal is confronting a last-minute challenge in their pursuit of Merino after Real Sociedad made a desperate attempt to retain the player.
The Gunners seemed on the verge of signing Merino, who won Euro 2024 with Spain this summer. He was believed to be available for £25 million as he enters the final year of his contract with Sociedad. This situation made him a target for Arteta, who has already brought in Riccardo Calafiori and David Raya this summer. Despite Declan Rice’s strong performances last season, Arteta appears to see the midfield as an area in need of reinforcement.
However, securing Merino may be more challenging than anticipated. Instead of a rival club, it is Sociedad’s effort to keep him in Spain that poses the problem.
According to Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Sociedad is shaken by the potential departures of Merino and Martin Zubimendi. With increasing fan concern, Sociedad officials are making every effort to retain at least one of them, with Zubimendi’s £51 million release clause reportedly attracting interest from Liverpool.
Club president Jokin Aperribay has returned from vacation to manage the situation and is seeking a solution. Merino has expressed his eagerness to join Arsenal.
Despite Sociedad’s attempts to retain Merino by offering him the highest salary in the squad, the offer seems to have come too late, as it remains significantly lower than what he would earn at Arsenal. Fortunately for Arsenal, Merino’s transfer to the Emirates is still expected to proceed. Arteta will likely be relieved by this development, acknowledging that his team needs further enhancements before the season begins.
“I think we are in good condition. I think we played some really competitive matches. We have a lot of talent there [in the academy] that we want to use and they show that they are very much pushing to earn the right to play with us,” he stated after their U.S. tour.
“Obviously we can improve. It makes the difference when you’re in those areas in those spaces in the box, putting the ball in the back of the net and we created a situation, we had another two or three big open situations to go better but we didn’t, so we have to improve.”
While Merino seems close to joining Arsenal, Arteta is still seeking the striker his squad urgently needs. They are expected to approve Eddie Nketiah’s loan move to Marseille, which will include an obligation to purchase.
Should Nketiah leave as anticipated, Arsenal will need to find a replacement. A prolific goalscorer could be the key to ending their two-decade-long title drought.
