Arsenal are looking to sign a central midfielder before the transfer deadline on August 30 and have already identified their main target.
The Gunners have finalised personal terms with Mikel Merino and talks are ongoing with Real Sociedad to try and find a suitable agreement.
According to El Desmarque, Arsenal made a formal bid of £25.6 million for Merino this week, but the offer was deemed insufficient by Sociedad.
The clubs’ valuations currently differ by £8.5m, and negotiations are continuing to find a solution in the coming days.
Merino is unlikely to be involved for Sociedad in their La Liga curtain-raiser against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening.
Arsenal likely to negotiate lesser fee for Merino
Merino is the priority midfield target at the moment, but the club may not want to pay over the odds. The Spaniard is 28 years of age and may not have a resale value.
Sociedad are eyeing £34.1m for him, but Arsenal will no doubt want to lower the fee to around £30m including add-ons in the next few days.
A middle ground could be found soon. Merino has indicated that he wants to go to Arsenal and this has been communicated to Sociedad’s president.
The midfielder, who has been described as ‘world-class‘ by Kieran Tierney, would be a solid acquisition for Arsenal due to his strong defensive attributes and creativity.
Merino, who has a release clause worth £56m in his Sociedad contract, won an average of 10.2 duels per La Liga game last season alongside 2.4 tackles and 6.2 recoveries.
He was also effective in the final third with eight goals and five assists in all competitions. The ex-Newcastle United man could be an intelligent short-term signing.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com.
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