August 20th 2024.
Mikel Merino has his sights set on a move to north London, as Real Sociedad stands firm on their demand for a fee of over €40 million. The Arsenal squad is eager to add the talented Spain international to their midfield options, but their initial offer of €25 million was rejected by the La Liga side.
There were reports that Real Sociedad would be willing to accept a fee of around €35 million, but according to Cadena Cope, they are now holding out for even more. Despite being in the final year of his contract, Merino's representatives remain optimistic that a deal will be struck with Arsenal. However, the possibility of staying in Spain for another year and seeing out his contract has not been completely ruled out.
In fact, Merino was left out of Real Sociedad's squad for their recent match against Real Vallecano, as head coach Imanol Alguacil confirmed that it was due to ongoing talks about the midfielder's future. "Mikel Merino is not in the squad because I decided so," Alguacil told reporters. "He was ready to help the team. We will see if he will be with us next week or not. There are open negotiations."
The 28-year-old has been in top form for Spain, particularly at Euro 2024, which has only increased his value in the eyes of Real Sociedad. President Jokin Aperribay has made it clear that they will not be bullied into accepting a fee that falls short of their valuation. "Merino was clear that he didn't want to say he was renewing his contract and then leave," Aperribay stated. "Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn't want to show up showed up. We will talk to Arsenal and defend the interests of La Real. When we consider that the offer is good, we will say yes."
With negotiations ongoing, Merino was not called up for Real Sociedad's match against Rayo Vallecano, as Aperribay explained, "We know what Merino's wishes are, so we decided that he should not be called up." However, according to reports, the situation is expected to be resolved in a matter of days.
Fans of Arsenal are eagerly awaiting updates on the situation, as the club's news, exclusives, and analysis continue to flood in. By signing up, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
