Arsenal are on the verge of signing one of Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, with talks ongoing over the payment package.
Merino was left out of Sociedad’s squad for the La Liga curtain-raiser against Real Vallecano, and manager Imanol acknowledged Arsenal’s interest in him after the game.
He said: (via Noticias de Gipuzkoa): “It is clear that there are no two players like (Robin) Le Normand and Merino.
“Real will not be able to replace those players with the same level. And I won’t even tell you if (Martin) Zubimendi had left.
“There’s a reason Arsenal want Merino and Liverpool were willing to pay Zubimendi’s clause. I’ve asked for reinforcements in all positions. If we can improve it will be good for the team.
“Now is not the time to get nervous – we are not 100% yet. We are Real Sociedad, what we have to do is work to be as happy at the end of the season as previous years.”
Merino, who has been described as ‘world-class‘ by Kieran Tierney, has been a mainstay for Sociedad over the last six years, making close to 250 appearances in all competitions.
He was brilliant defensively and offensively for his club last term. The Spaniard won an average of 10.2 duels, 2.4 tackles and 6.2 recoveries per league game.
The ex-Newcastle United man also excelled in the final third. He registered eight goals and five assists in all competitions, operating from the central midfield role.
Merino has a £56 million release clause in his contract, but Arsenal are optimistic about securing his services for a package of around £29.8m this month.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
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