- Arsenal closing in on signing of Riccardo Calafiori
- Gunners then expected to step up interest in Mikel Merino
- Mikel Arteta keen to bring in new midfielder and is driving force behind Merino pursuit
Arsenal are the frontrunners in the race to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad and are expected to step up their interest in the coming days, 90min understands.
The Gunners are close to wrapping up their first signing of the summer window, with Riccardo Calafiori's move from Bologna to be finalised following a medical this weekend. He will then join up with the first-team on their tour of the USA.
Once Calafiori is over the line, sources have told 90min Arsenal will pursue a move for Merino, who has emerged as a concrete target in their search for a new midfielder.
Merino was one of Spain's stars on their path to Euro 2024 glory this summer, despite mainly featuring from the bench. He notably scored the winning goal in extra-time against Germany in the quarter-finals.
But 90min understands Merino is a long-term target of Arsenal's and their interest pre-dates his summer exploits, with manager Mikel Arteta the driving force behind this pursuit, even at the early stages of a transfer.
Though Merino turned 28 last month, Arsenal have shown they are prepared to buy experienced players as well as younger prospects. In fact, Merino's track record of 348 senior club appearances appeals to the Gunners, while they have no doubts over his adaptability to the Premier League after spending the 2017/18 season with Newcastle United.
Another major plus point next to Merino's name is he is entering the last year of his Real Sociedad contract and could be sold for as little as £21m (€25m). Though La Reale would like to keep Merino, they are not optimistic of him extending his stay and are more confident of keeping onto fellow Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi, who has publicly spoken of his love for the Spanish club and never shown a desire to leave.
Atletico Madrid are Arsenal's main rivals for Merino, with Diego Simeone's side in the market for a midfielder. Chelsea's Conor Gallagher is also of interest to Atletico, but he would cost over double Merino's potential price.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Barcelona are fond of Merino, but they are working their way through other priorities in the summer market, most notably Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.
