New Delhi: UEFA Euro 2024 winner Mikel Merino is set to join Arsenal after Mikel Arteta’s side agreed on a deal with Real Sociedad following weeks of negotiation. The English club will pay an initial €32 million to Sociedad and can also pay €5 million more due to performance-related add-ons. The Spaniard wanted to move to the Gunners ever since they approached him and his dream is now set to become a reality, subject to a medical.
Merino is a tough tackling midfielder who is excellent at winning duels and that makes him exactly the kind of midfielder Arteta wants in his side. He has been a key figure for Real Sociedad ever since he joined the club back in 2018. In his six years at the club, he made 242 appearances for them, helping the side win the Copa Del Rey in 2020, their first major honour since 1987.
His move to Arsenal marks his return to the Premier League six years after leaving England after he spent a solitary season at Newcastle in the 2017-18 season where he failed to make a significant impact at the club, only making 25 appearances and scoring just one goal for the Magpies. He rebuilt his reputation after moving back to Spain, establishing himself as an integral player for both Sociedad and the Spanish National Team.
🚨🔴⚪️ Mikel Merino to Arsenal, here we go! Verbal agreement in place for Spanish midfielder to join Gunners.
€32m plus €5m add-ons with favorable payment terms. Contract until 2028.
Arsenal were closing in on Merino deal since end of July, Merino only wanted Arsenal.
🧘🏼♂️🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/k0JjCeeBEO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 22, 2024
He played in every game of his country’s UEFA Euro 2024 campaign and even scored a crucial 119th-minute winner for his side in the quarter-final game against hosts Germany, breaking the hearts of everyone in the stadium that night. His performances for Spain at this summer’s UEFA Euro made him a household name and it enabled him to showcase his talent at a wider scale and to a larger audience.
He has now agreed to a four-year deal with the Gunners, with an option of another year and will become their third major signing of the summer window, after they had already completed moves for David Raya, who was on loan last season but was signed permanently in this window, and another UEFA Euro 2024 star Riccardo Calafiori, who has joined Arsenal from Italian outfit Bologna.
Mikel Arteta’s side began their season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves in their opening game of the season and will now travel to Aston Villa on Saturday, August 24. While that game might be a little too soon for Merino to make his Arsenal debut, we might be able to see him in the stands at Villa Park, cheering for his soon-to-be new club.
The Spaniard had less than a year remaining on his contract at Real Sociedad and had his heart set on a move to the Emirates Stadium. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
