A few months ago, Arsenal were seriously interested in a move for Real Sociedad pivot Martin Zubimendi. However, that interest has since cooled down, with the 25-year-old midfielder determined to remain in Donostia-San Sebastian. As such, the Premier League giants have moved on, but they’ve not gone far.

As reported by Marca, Arsenal are now very keen on Mikel Merino, Zubimendi’s midfield partner at La Real. He’s expected to be available this summer as a result of not signing a new contract at the Basque giants, and in recent weeks, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been registered with holding an interest.

Merino has impressed during his cameo appearances for Spain at Euro 2024, and his future will be made clearer in the weeks after the tournaments concludes on Sunday. Real Sociedad appear resigned to him leaving, although it won’t be overly cheap – reports have suggested that their asking price could be in the region of €25m.

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