Arsenal set to secure £30m transfer deal for Mikel Merino as major boost looms

Arsenal's pursuit of Mikel Merino seems to be gaining momentum as the Real Sociedad midfielder was notably absent from the squad for their first league match of the season.

Mikel Arteta identified Merino as his top target to strengthen his midfield over the summer but Arsenal have struggled to reach an agreement with the Spanish side for the Euro 2024 winner.

However, reports in Spain on Friday suggested that both clubs had agreed, in principle, on a deal worth £30m for the 28-year-old, with the hope of finalising terms over the weekend.

And that deal took another step forward after the midfielder was left out of La Real’s squad for Sunday’s La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano.

Manager Imanol Alguacil insisted that Merino was fit to play but said he chose to leave the midfielderas negotiations with Arsenal continue.

‘Mikel Merino is not in the squad because I decided so,’ he told reporters on Saturday.

‘He was ready to help the team. We will see if he will be with us next week or not. There are open negotiations.’

Arteta, meanwhile, was more secretive when asked about a potential deal for Merino on Friday.

‘You know that I cannot talk about any other players,’ he said when asked about a deal for the midfielder.

When pressed more generally about the club’s transfer strategy, Arteta added: ‘Before the season we had two objectives. The main one was to make sure that we are very much in love with our players and find ways to improve them because that’s the main thing.

‘Then okay if there are still certain opportunities in the market to improve the squad we have to look at that, that’s what we are trying to do.’

Riccardo Calafiori’s arrival from Bologna and David Raya’s permanent move from Brentford represent Arsenal’s only moves of the window thus far.

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