Barcelona expecting top midfield target to join Arsenal with transfer fee revealed

Barcelona are ready to give up on their pursuit of midfielder Mikel Merino, expecting the Real Sociedad star to join Arsenal this summer.

Merino is among Arsenal’s top summer transfer targets with Mikel Arteta eager to strengthen his options in the middle of the park ahead of the new Premier League season.

The 28-year-old has one year left on his contract in San Sebastian with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona eager to keep him in La Liga.

Reports in Spain have suggested Merino is not interested in a move to the Spanish capital with SPORT now reporting Barcelona’s hopes of signing him are also fading fast.

The Spanish publication reports his future is now likely to lie with Arsenal with a move to the Camp Nou now ‘almost impossible’.

The only situation that could revive Barcelona’s hopes of signing Merino is if the club can offload Frenkie de Jong this summer. The Dutchman, one of the club’s top earners, has two more years left on his contract.

SPORT also report Merino will likely cost Arsenal a modest fee of around €25million (£21m).

Merino previously played for Newcastle United earlier in his career, spending a year on Tyneside before returning to Spain in 2018.

Arsenal would typically target young players to bolster the squad but such is Arteta’s admiration of Merino, they are willing to make an exception in this case with the Gunners boss impressed with his ability and physicality.

The Gunners, who missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City on the final day of last season, hope to wrap up their move for Riccardo Calafiori in the coming days.

A fee of £42m has been agreed with Bologna and the 22-year-old is expected to undergo his medical in the US where Arsenal’s pre-season campaign will get underway.

Speaking in the US this week, Arteta underlined the need for the club to ‘upgrade’ their squad in order to keep pace with City this season.

‘We have to,’ Arteta said.

‘Perfection in this league requires different standards. To relate that word perfection to winning the Premier League then that’s what we have to do. We need to upgrade in everything we are doing. We have to improve in every area and that is what we are trying to do.’