Arsenal are tracking Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino amid his impressive performances for the Spanish national team at Euro 2024 this summer.
That’s according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, where he also named Barcelona as admirers of the 28-year-old.
Romano described Merino as a market opportunity, with the in-form midfielder in the final year of his contract at Sociedad, who are also a club that Arsenal manager Arteta is said to keep an eye on a lot.
Merino looks like he could be a good fit for Arsenal as they surely need a replacement for the ageing and injury-prone Thomas Partey, while Barca would also surely benefit from bringing in a new signing in that area of the pitch after a disappointing season last term.
It remains to be seen if Merino would have a preference out of Arsenal or Barcelona, but one imagines this will become clearer after he’s finished with this summer’s Euros.
Merino transfer latest from Fabrizio Romano
“Mikel Merino – The Spain midfielder is on the list at Barcelona for sure, appreciated by the board; Arsenal have also been tracking him as he’s considered a good market opportunity with one year left on his contract, while Mikel Arteta also follows Real Sociedad regularly. Let’s see what happens, it’s still early for this one with all options open,” Romano said.
Arsenal have had a quiet summer so far, certainly in comparison to last year when they got some major deals done early, but fans will hope for something soon on Merino after what sounds like a fairly positive update from Romano here.
