Arsenal close to Mikel Merino deal as Real Sociedad chief flies to London

Arsenal are closing in on a £30m deal for Spain midfielder Mikel Merino.

Merino, 28, has been training away from his Real Sociedad team mates with negotiations at an advanced stage between the clubs. Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay is reported in the Spanish media to have flown to London to thrash out a deal.‌

The Spanish club want £30m plus add-ons to get the deal over the line with Arsenal now trying to resolve the extras and finer details. Merino, part of Spain’s Euros winning squad, only has one year left on his contract at Real Sociedad and has made it clear that he will not re-sign and he wants the chance to move to Arsenal.‌

That has left Arsenal in a strong position and personal terms will not be an issue for a player who has won 28 caps and is also a powerful, 6ft 2in presence in midfield. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a long term admirer, wants to add depth and quality to his midfield but also wants extra height and physical presence.

The deal has been a long drawn out affair but now is edging closer to being finalised. Arsenal already have Thomas Partey and Declan Rice as midfield regulars while Jorginho has been back-up. Partey only has one year left on his contract.

But Merino now provides another option with Martin Odegaard also playing further forward with Rice as Arteta likes the England midfielder’s ability as a more forward looking player. Arsenal’s biggest buy has been Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori whose deal is worth up to £42m and they have taken a view of wanting to balance the books before doing more deals.

They are not close to breaking their PSR spending restrictions but Merino’s arrival is also likely to come amid Eddie Nketiah joining Nottingham Forest as they edge closer to a £30m deal. Arsenal are also set to loan out Aaron Ramsdale - with Wolves keen on a deal with an option to buy for £25m next summer - and Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia is likely to come in as back-up to first choice David Raya.

"I said after last season that we had two objectives, the main one and the most important one is to make sure that we are still very much in love with our players and find ways to improve them, and that is the main thing," Arteta told reporters before the Premier League opener on Saturday. "Then if there are certain opportunities in the market, to improve the squad - certainly we have to look at that. That’s what we will be trying to do."

Arteta's team claimed all three points in that game, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring in a 2-0 win. Next up for them is a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

More departures could also follow before the end of the window, with Emile Smith Rowe the highest-profile exit so far. When asked about more business, Arteta said: "The market is open so things can happen".