Arsenal are far from finished in the summer transfer window with Mikel Arteta turning his focus towards the capture of a world-class winger if he can first shift on two unwanted stars and with Fabrizio Romano providing an update on the agreement for Mikel Merino.
The Gunners open their Premier League campaign with a home clash against Wolves on Saturday afternoon, hoping this can finally be their season after finishing as runners-up in the previous two years. And while transfer additions so far at Arsenal this summer have been limited to just the permanent signing of David Raya and the €45m (£38.4m) signing of Riccardo Calafiori, signing number three is now just around the corner.
Indeed, after weeks of negotiations, Arsenal on Friday night finally secured a breakthrough with Real Sociedad to bring Merino back to the Premier League from the LaLiga side.
The Euro 2024 winner previously spent an underwhelming time of things with Newcastle, where he made just 25 appearances across two seasons before departing for Sociedad, where has has since spent the six seasons.
Now regarded as one of LaLiga’s best central midfielders, the Gunners quickly identified the experienced star as a prime target this summer and an ideal midfield partner for Declan Rice in their engine room.
And while Arteta quickly persuaded the 28-year-old to move to north London, reaching a breakthrough on his fee with Sociedad has been a long, drawn-out process.
However, an agreement has finally now been reached and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed an agreement worth €35m (£29.8m) – higher than initially expected – has been struck between the clubs for Merino.
Mikel Merino to Arsenal: Fabrizio Romano provides update
Talks over the structure of the deal are yet to be finalised though and once that is done, the 28-times capped Spain international will travel to north London to undergo medical checks.
With personal terms over a deal, believed to be for an initial three years, already agreed, his signing could be confirmed by as early as Monday.
Providing an update on the ever-changing situation, transfer guru Romano said on YouTube: “Now, the two clubs have an agreement on the fee because the fee they have in mind, Arsenal and Real Sociedad, is potentially okay.
“It’s how to structure this fee – so in terms of add-ons, in terms of payment terms – so there is still some work to do on the structure of the deal. But, the fee they have in mind, Real Sociedad and Arsenal, is quite okay.
“So, the deal is progressing well. Arsenal are working on it, it could be an important weekend to advance for Merino. Let’s follow the situation hour by hour.”
Merino is expected to heavily feature this season, with a gap opening up in their side with Mohamed Elneny and Albert Lokonga departing and with Arteta no longer able to rely on the fitness of Thomas Partey.
The Gunners’ work on the transfer front, though, is not expected to end with Merino and Arsenal are still looking to make one more major investment before the window shuts.
Arsenal transfers: Arteta sets sights on world-class wing addition
To that end, Arsenal have previously been tipped to sign a new striker this summer, exploring a number of possible options, which started with Benjamin Sesko and have since evolved to either Alexander Isak or Victor Osimhen.
However, with Sesko off the agenda after he signed a new deal at RB Leipzig, deals for either of their preferred other options look extremely difficult – and costly – to pull off.
As a result, there is a feeling that Arsenal could abandon their plan to sign a new centre forward for a year and instead rely on Kai Havertz in a more central striking role this season. Gabriel Jesus, of course, remains their other primary option.
Instea, reports from Spain claim Arteta is ready to switch his focus to the capture of a top-class winger instead and there appears a growing belief a move for Spain and Athletic Bilbao sensation, Nico Williams, could yet be pulled off.
Journalist Kaya Kaynak has also revealed in a Q&A on Football.London that Williams remains a dream signing for Arteta, and the Gunners could yet launch a massive play for his services if they can offload both the unwanted Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson first.
“I think the top choice is Nico Williams. Whether they can actually get that deal done is another question altogether though,” Kaynak stated.
“He has interest from Barca, huge wage demands and would require all of his release clause to be paid upfront.”
That release for Williams is set at €58m (£49.5m) and must be paid in its entirty up front – making a deal difficult to secure.
However, with Nketiah attracting attention from Crystal Palace, Everton and Nottingham Forest, after Bournemouth’s interest was ended by their signing of Evanilson from FC Porto, hopes have been rekindled over a possible £30m sale.
Nelson, meanwhile, is valued at £15m, and TEAMtalk understands both Leicester and West Ham remain keen over a possible deal. If Arsenal can offload both players – and receive a chunk of those deals up front – it could open up the possibility of a high-profile deal to bring Williams to Emirates in a deal that would really light up their summer.
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