Matteo Moretto Transfer Column: Mikel Merino, Vitor Roque, Pau Victor and midfield situation at Barcelona

Arsenal talks for Mikel Merino continue to move in the right direction

Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino has given his approval for a move to Arsenal, they have the green light for him, and now it is up to the two clubs to resolve the details of the transfer. That includes sorting out how much of the fee is fixed, and how much Arsenal would pay in bonuses.

Negotiations between Real Sociedad and Arsenal are ongoing though, no change there. Real Sociedad are not optimistic about a contract renewal either, and their President Jokin Aperribay admitted their offer had been on the table for a year earlier this week.

Barcelona not prioritising midfield this summer even with Oriol Romeu departure

At the moment, midfield is not a priority for Barcelona this transfer window, ​​although I would not rule anything out either. It is true that Hansi Flick is in love with the youngsters like Marc Casado and Marc Bernal, who are doing well on Barcelona’s preseason tour, but I think that Barcelona will calmly assess the situation after the tour.

At that point they will work out whether to reinforce in the midfield and with whom. In terms of Oriol Romeu, there was talk that Flick would give him a chance this season, but since April, he has been out of the club’s plans, hence the loan move to Girona.

Vitor Roque will be a recurring topic for Barcelona in the coming weeks

Regarding Pau Víctor, who has had an impressive start to preseason for Barcelona, and has scored twice against Real Madrid and once against Manchester City, I can only say that the club is very happy with his performance. He was brought back from Girona after playing on loan for Barca Atletic last season, and as of today, they do not want to sell him.

On the subject of Vitor Roque, I can tell you that he said no to the proposal from Saudi Arabia. There has been quite consistent links to Lazio in recent weeks too, and it’s true that they have explored the possibility of moving for Roque but as of today there are no advanced negotiations. I think we will continue to hear Roque’s name in the context of the transfer market in these last few weeks.

Matteo Moretto will be back with more transfer news in the coming days, providing exclusive information on the biggest stories in Spain and Italy.