ο»ΏMikel Merino, a midfield player, will join Real Sociedad for Β£32.67 million, according to the agreement.
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Base price is Β£28.43m, with Β£4.24m in additional expenses. With one more year conceivable if he clears a medical exam, the 28-year-old has committed to a four-year contract.
Last season, Arsenal was defeated by Manchester City, the defending champions, in a two-team competition for the Premier League title. To strengthen their squad this summer, they brought in Riccardo Calafiori, a former Bologna defender.
However, Arsenal has been attempting to get the Spaniard to the Emirates by holding advanced negotiations with Real Sociedad in La Liga. They consider strengthening the midfield to be crucial before the summer transfer window closes.
Merino returned to Sociedad following Spain’s victory at the European Championships in Germany this past summer. Spain defeated England 2-1 in the final.
The 28-year-old and Declan Rice, an England midfielder, will probably play in the engine room together. Despite having played in Arsenal’s 2-0 victory against Wolves on the opening weekend, Thomas Partey remains a fantastic addition to the team.
During the previous season, Kai Havertz was occasionally used as Arsenal’s No. 8, but lately, he has been playing at a high level, leading the line and emerging as Arteta’s clear first-choice centre striker.
In the last six years, Merino has made 242 appearances for Real Sociedad. He has also accrued 28 Spain caps.
A Β£30 million bid ought to be sufficient to secure the 28-year-old, according to Mail Sport last week. Prior to the start of the current Premier League season, Edu, the sports director of Arsenal, travelled to Spain in order to expedite negotiations.
Merino, who still has a year left on his deal, was left out of Real Sociedad’s starting lineup for their La Liga debut on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano. Given the rumours of a transfer, Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil declared that to be “the best solution.”
The Merino agreement is moving forward today. Concurrently, Arsenal is nearly finished offing Eddie Nketiah to Nottingham Forest for a reported thirty million pounds.
After going through Arsenal’s academy, the player joined the team and has since scored 38 goals in 168 games. Arsenal reportedly rejected Forest’s initial Β£25 million offer on Monday, according to Mail Sport.