Arsenal have officially announced the permanent transfer of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in a deal worth up to $42.8 million. The Spain midfielder is expected to travel to London imminently once the formalities of the club to club agreement have been addressed.
Once there he will complete his medical at the Gunners' London Colney training base before putting pen to paper on a four-year contract with an option for a further 12 months. Talks between Arsenal and La Real accelerated when the latter accepted that Merino would not sign the extension they hoped to agree on a contract that was due to expire at the end of the season. The central midfielder was left out of the squad for the season opener against Rayo Vallecano, coach Imanol Alguacil acknowledging the impending departure of a player he termed "the best midfielder in La Liga.
" Ready to achieve big things – together ❤️ Welcome to The Arsenal, Mikel Merino 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/WhbHXMaV1p CBS Sports first reported on Arsenal's interest in Merino in July, the 28-year-old European champion serving the Gunners' desire to deepen Mikel Arteta's squad with starter-level talent.
The former Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund man could prove to be exactly that, a player who has registered over 2,000 La Liga minutes in each of the last six seasons for a side who have consistently been one of Spain's top six. His form at club level has been rewarded with 28 caps for Spain, for whom he headed the winner against Germany in the.