TAKING THE MIK
Arsenal agree £33m transfer of Mikel Merino with Real Sociedad star already agreeing personal terms on five-year deal
Merino enjoys a great relationship with one leading Arsenal star already
ARSENAL have reached an agreement to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
The Spanish midfielder is set to join the Gunners for a fee of around £32.6m, with £28.4m paid up front and £4.2m in add-ons.
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Merino, 28 – a long-term target of boss Mikel Arteta – is due to have a medical ahead of signing a four-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.
Arsenal initially wanted to land Merino for around £25m but improved their offer after back-and-forth negotiations with Sociedad.
But their new £33m offer has been accepted on Thursday, according to transfer guru David Ornstein.
The signing will be Arsenal’s third of the summer, taking their total tally to just over £100m after also spending £27m on David Raya and £42m on Riccardo Calafiori.
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Arteta was keen to bolster the midfield and sees the Euros-winning Spain international – who had one year left on his Sociedad deal – as a perfect fit.
Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil said it was 'the best solution', amid the transfer speculation while Club president Jokin Aperribay was in London to thrash out the deal.
Merino’s first choice was always Arsenal, despite being linked with several top European sides, including Juventus.
He has played 242 times for Real Sociedad over the past six years, while he has also racked up 28 caps for La Roja.
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He helped Spain to win Euro 2024 last month, after scoring the winner in their 2-1 quarter-final win over Germany.
The Spaniard was omitted from Real Sociedad's squad to face Real Vallecano as they kicked off their LaLiga campaign with a 2-1 defeat.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Player Ratings
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Elsewhere, Liverpool are reportedly closing in on the £29.9m signing of Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
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Merino came through the ranks at Osasuna before having spells at Borussia Dortmund and St James' Park.
The left side of the midfield has been a slight weakness in Arsenal's build-up after Granit Xhaka left for Bayer Leverkusen and Kai Havertz was found unsuitable to fill the role.
It adds much needed depth to the Emirates midfield - something they often missed last season.
Arsenal need to counter Manchester City's squad depth - as they missed out on the title to Pep Guardiola for the second successive year last season.
Merino enjoyed success with Sociedad from 2018 onwards alongside two current Prem stars: Alexander Isak and Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard, who was on loan from Real Madrid at the time, created nine chances for Merino in the 2019-20 season — the third-most prolific partnership in the side.
The move should be completed in the next 24 hours but Merino is unlikely to be included in the squad to face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
Arsenal ratings vs Wolves
ARSENAL kicked off their campaign with three points at home to Wolves.
Here's how SunSport's Isabelle Barker rated Mikel Arteta's men.
David Raya - 8
Produced a jaw-dropping save in the opening-half on an awkward Jorgen Strand Larsen header.
Saved Saliba’s skins late on when he nearly produced a monumental cock-up by passing the ball straight to Cunha.
Ben White - 7
White wanted a goal so bad, had two shots in the opening half and was linking the play well.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6
Put the Gunners under pressure at times to highlight why the club signed Riccardo Calafiori in the summer.
The Ukrainian left-back also looked weak defensively.
With the return of Jurrien Timber, Zinchenko could see himself out of the starting XI.
Gabrel - 7
Was mostly rock solid at the back and was more reliable than Saliba but still made a few questionable tackles.
William Saliba - 6
Was the culprit of a number of poor passes.
Had a disastrous spell which gifted Wolves a chance, forcing Raya into that blinding save in the first-half.
He then passed the ball straight to Matheus Cunha who so very nearly equalised in the second-half.
Martin Odegaard - 7
A joy to watch in the first-half but needed to sharpen up in the second-half. Held onto the ball for too long doing flicks and tricks which put Arsenal under the cosh.
Thomas Partey - 7
Solid display, buzzed about all over the pitch and was neat and tidy with his distribution.
Nearly made it 2-0 in the second-half with a rasping, low shot.
Declan Rice - 6
Had little influence throughout the game and came off injured on 84-minutes.
Bukayo Saka - 9
The opener was all about the cross from Saka.
It was an inch-perfect, in-swinging cross into the box, the keeper couldn’t come for it, the defenders didn't want to knock it into their own net, and Havertz took full advantage.
He wrapped up a perfect performance by firing a rocket into the top corner to make it 2-0.
Kai Havertz - 8
His opener had been brewing for a while when he produced a crisp finish on 25 minutes. He has now scored 10 goals in his last 15 Premier League games. Scuppered a golden chance early in the second-half though.
Gabriel Martinelli - 7
Solid performance but was wasteful and selfish when he could have laid the ball back to Declan Rice when he was wide open.
Subs:
Jurrien Timber - 7
Gabriel Jesus - 7
Leandro Trossard - 7