Merino has been linked with a move from Newcastle to Bartra’s Betis.
Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino has been linked with a move to Real Betis this summer, and now defender Marc Bartra has added fuel to the fire by commenting on his Instagram post.
Spanish newspaper AS claim the 21-year-old is interested in a return to his home country, with Betis and Athletic Bilbao interested in nabbing his signature less than a year after completing a permanent move to Tyneside.
It is believed that a move could be set to occur, with manager Rafa Benitez reportedly willing to sell the midfielder if they make a decent profit on the £7million fee that saw him move from Borussia Dortmund, according to the Chronicle.
Merino posted a selfie on Instagram on Monday, captioning the post with the ‘eyes’ emoji as the Spain Under-21 international’s future remains up in the air after just two Premier League starts in 2018.
Former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona defender Bartra replied to his former Dortmund teammate, posting: “Creo que ya se en que estás pensando”, which is translated as “I think I already know what you’re thinking”.
Merino broke onto the scene at Newcastle and fans are very much of the opinion that he has the potential to become a star at St. James’ Park in the future, but if the Toon can land a decent figure for Merino, then a sale could indeed go ahead.
The ball is in Newcastle’s court, though, with a contract in the north east until the summer of 2022.
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