Spain and Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino is on the market this summer, with a contract renewal looking increasingly unlikely in Donostia-San Sebastian. While two of the big three in Spain are interested in him, it may be a move back to the Premier League which tempts him most.
La Real are likely to receive contacts from Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks for Merino, while Barcelona have been heavily linked with him in recent days too. Following a report that the Blaugrana see Arsenal as their biggest threat to sign the former Newcastle United man, Sport have now revealed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called Merino about joining the club already.
Al Hilal have contacted Barça and Raphinha's entourage to express their strong interest in signing the Brazilian winger. @ffpolo, @RogerTorello
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 24, 2024
Merino is aware of the interest from Barcelona, and knows that there is substance behind it, but with uncertainty over their finances this summer, they will take some time to put an offer on the table for him. Arsenal on the other hand have no such impediment and could move for him immediately, and the Catalan daily say that Barcelona must move quickly in order to stand a chance of signing Merino.
A more promising report comes from Matteo Moretto, who told Football España that it was unlikely that there was a major update on Merino’s future until Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign comes to an end.
