HERE WE GO: Arsenal close to sign £50m superstar as agreement have been reached to sell Key player to fund transfer – player will be on stand to watch Arsenal game tomorrow
HERE WE GO: Arsenal close to sign £50m superstar as agreement have been reached to sell Key player to fund transfer – player will be on stand to watch Arsenal game tomorrow
Arsenal are closing in on an agreement to sign their top midfield target, according to The Times.
The Gunners have already finalised personal terms with Mikel Merino and they are presently engaged in negotiations with Real Sociedad to find a suitable agreement.
The club’s opening offer of £25.6 million was turned down by Sociedad. It appears Arsenal have returned with a fresh £29.8m bid and they are now closing in on a deal.
Merino’s arrival could coincide with a possible exit and The Times claim that the club are open to selling midfielder Thomas Partey, who is in the last year of his contract.
Arsenal could finalise Merino transfer this weekend
The Gunners have had a relatively quiet summer transfer window with just one new addition.
Riccardo Calafiori joined the club from Bologna at the end of last month and he could make his debut in Saturday’s Premier League curtain-raiser against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Merino could be the next in line to join the club. Negotiations are ongoing over the payment terms and it may not be long before a formal agreement is reached with Sociedad.
The Spaniard, who has a £56 million release clause in his contract, would be a fine addition to the squad with his strong defensive attributes and creativity from central midfield.
Merino won an average of 10.2 duels and 2.4 tackles last season with 1.9 clearances and 6.2 recoveries. He also made 13 goal contributions for the Basque outfit in all competitions.
The 28-year-old, who has been described as ‘world-class‘ by Kieran Tierney, is unlikely to leave Sociedad to warm the bench and could be a regular starter for the Gunners.
Hence, we are not surprised that Arsenal are contemplating the exit of Partey. Declan Rice could return to the number six position with Jorginho providing the necessary back-up.
Kai Havertz and Merino could compete for the left central midfield role. The former could also play up front ahead of Gabriel Jesus depending on the nature of the opposition.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
