Negotiations have stepped up over recent weeks in an attempt to reach an agreement for Merino, who is keen to make the switch to the Gunners and work with Mikel Arteta. Arsenal have made Merino their priority midfield target and Edu was in Spain earlier this week to try and wrap up the club's third senior signing of the summer.
Now, according to Diario AS, it's reported that a deal is now 'a matter of hours away' for Merino to move to the Gunners and become their third summer signing. Arsenal are expected to pay between £25million and £30m for the Spaniard, who has less than one year left on his contract.
Merino was left out of Sociedad's squad for their La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in a hint that the move is expected to happen. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil said: "Mikel Merino is not in the squad because I decided so. Mikel Merino is not in the squad because I decided so."
Merino is set to follow David Raya, who made his loan move permanent last month in a £27m deal from Brentford, and Riccardo Calafiori to the Emirates after the Italian joined from Bologna for £42m. It's set to take the Arsenal's summer spending to just shy of £100m, and more could arrive before the end of the window.
Standing at 6ft 2in, Merino is a powerhouse of a midfielder who can dominate opponents with his strength, aerial ability and physicality in and out of possession. On the ball, Merino has the vision to pick out a pass and can often help control a game. He would no doubt bolster that Arsenal side.
Meanwhile, Arsenal got their Premier League campaign underway with a 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday. Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka helped the Gunners to three points on the opening day. Speaking after the game, Arteta said: "Especially the beginning of the match, in the first half, where we were really good - really aggressive, really intense, a lot of purpose to attack, very fast, a lot of threat in the box.
"We generated a lot - we probably should have scored two or three, and the game would have been a bit different. In the second half, [there were] moments where we became a bit sloppy and not controlled, especially with some giveaways, which against this team is particularly difficult. Then the game was a bit more open and Bukayo had an unbelievable action again to make it 2-0. Then it was a different game."
0 Comments