Barcelona PUSHING Mikel Merino to Arsenal

Robin Bairner

24 Jul 2024 11:30 BST
3 min read

Mikel Merino looks destined to complete a transfer to Arsenal from Real Sociedad, with Barcelona apparently on the brink of giving up on Spain’s Euro 2024 hero.

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The midfielder is one of a trio of stars from Luis de la Fuente’s European champions who have been closely linked with a move to Barca, with both Dani Olmo and, more pertinently, Nico Williams on the radar of the Blaugrana.

Williams is also being targeted by the Gunners, but while Barcelona have the lead in that case, Mikel Arteta’s men seem to hold the cards when it comes to Merino.

FootballTransfers revealed earlier this month that Arsenal have already initiated contact with the player.

Current ETV

Mikel Merino

M (C)

Real Sociedad

Mikel Merino

M (C)

Real Sociedad

ETV Range

€15.9M - €26.5M

Sport indicates that Barcelona do want to sign the former Newcastle player, but only if they are first able to sell Frenkie de Jong – something they are pessimistic about being able to do.

“His future will probably be at Arsenal as Barcelona see it almost impossible to sign him, while the footballer himself prefers to play in the Premier League than with Atletico Madrid, another one of his suitors,” the report states.

“With Nico Williams and Dani Olmo as main targets, the arrival of Merino - a player that Deco likes a lot - would only be possible with a transfer of Frenkie de Jong.”

© IMAGO - Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams

Merino on the move

Merino is liable to be sold by Real Sociedad this summer. His contract with La Real is up in June 2025, and though the club is said to be willing to reject any bids that do not come up to their expectations, it is thought that a relatively modest amount could prise the player away.

Sport indicates that €25 million would be sufficient to draw the Basque side into a sale for a player they bought in 2019 for €12m.

Merino’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €21.2m, with the upper end of his estimate at €26.5m, suggesting that Arsenal would be getting a fair price for him if they were to close such a transfer out.