Arsenal are on the brink of completing their second major transfer of the summer after lengthy negotiations.
HITC revealed in mid-July that Mikel Arteta had decided that Mikel Merino was his top midfield target, a position they have been looking for all summer.
Arsenal’s initial target was Merino’s teammate was Martin Zubimendi, but he decided against a move to the Emirates as he did not want to move to England, a situation Liverpool also found out earlier this month.
Despite their initial targeting of Zubimendi, HITC understands that Merino was always a player that Arteta and Arsenal were keen on and they quicky decided to make their move.
Arsenal make breakthrough after upping offer for Merino
Arsenal sources have confirmed to HITC that they and Real Sociedad have come to agreement over a deal for Mikel Merino after the Premier League giants upped their offer for the Spanish star.
HITC can reveal that Sociedad threatened to walk away from talks on Wednesday if Arsenal did not come up from their offer of €35million overall.
Now sources have confirmed that Arsenal’s new offer of €38.5milion (£32.6million) has been accepted by Real, who have come down from their asking price of €40million.
Medical booked ahead of the weekend
Merino’s medical are already planned for Friday and there is a chance that a deal could be concluded before midday making him eligible for the weekend’s clash with Aston Villa but sources believe that Arsenal are now going to rush it through.
Merino’s personal terms are already in place with the player agreeing terms on a four-year deal with an option for a fifth year.
Merino will be Arsenal’s second major new arrival following on from the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori.
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