Mikel Arteta was made to wait but Arsenal have secured the services of Riccardo Calafiori after a deal was struck with Bologna.
There are now just two weeks until Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Wolves at the Emirates as the north London club touch back down on home soil.
The pre-season tour of the United States is now complete with the Gunners back in north London for their final preparations ahead of the new campaign.
And former Arsenal player Ray Parlour has been left absolutely delighted after hearing who they are set to sign as their second addition of the summer.
Ex Arsenal player Ray Parlour during a Washington Soccer School Clinic on July 17, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Arsenal closing in on ‘top player’ as their second signing
The signing of Calafiori was certainly a statement given there was no real demand for Arsenal to add such an exciting player to their defence.
After all, Arteta’s side ended the 2023/24 season with the best defensive record in the Premier League.
But now attention has already turned to their next potential signing as they look to finally end Manchester City’s dominance at the top of the table.
And in doing so, Arsenal have now identified a midfielder who they feel would help to bridge the gap to Ppe Guardiola’s side.
This is a potential signing which Parlour feels would be an excellent addition to what Arteta has going on in north London.
“I like the box-to-box players, Bryan Robson, back in the day. And it’s just choosing common sense as a midfielder,” Parlour told TalkSPORT.
“If someone runs past you playing alongside you and gets forward, you just fill in for him and vice-versa. Very, very straightforward because back in the day, it was 4-4-2, a lot of formations were.
“Merino, look, he is a top player, he has played well for Spain, Real Sociedad. Good age, 28. It’s perfect, you know, he should be in his prime about that sort of time. £25 million is a decent deal.”
Mikel Merino is close to joining Arsenal
A deal for Merino to make the move to north London now appears to just be a matter of time with Romano saying it is ‘really close’.
Real Sociedad are coming to accept the midfielder’s fate with Merino keen to make the move to Arsenal.
Merino has Premier League experience from his brief spell at Newcastle United, but he will be hoping any potential move to the Gunners lasts longer than the 12 months he spent on Tyneside.
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