Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad for a fee potentially rising to £32.6 million.
The initial payment for the 28-year-old, who is nearing the end of his contract with the La Liga club, is £28.4 million, with an additional £4.2 million in performance-based add-ons.
Merino, a key member of the Spain squad that triumphed in Euro 2024, played in all seven matches during the tournament and scored a decisive late goal against Germany in the quarter-final. This acquisition would mark Arsenal’s third signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori and Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, whose loan move from Brentford was recently made permanent.
Merino is known for his ability to play as a deep-lying midfielder, a role that would ideally complement Declan Rice, who has also been deployed in a more advanced ‘box-to-box’ position. His arrival would offer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta more depth and competition in the midfield, joining the ranks alongside Rice, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Martin Odegaard.
With previous Premier League experience during his time at Newcastle United, Merino transitioned to Real Sociedad in 2018, where he formed a midfield partnership with Odegaard during the 2019-20 season when the Norwegian was on loan from Real Madrid. Merino, who has earned 28 caps for Spain, played 45 matches across all competitions last season, netting eight goals.
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