Real Sociedad president, Jokin Aperribay, has provided an update on the future of midfielder Mikel Merino, amid ongoing discussions about a potential transfer to Arsenal.
Recent reports suggested that Arsenal are nearing a deal worth nearly £30 million for the Euro 2024 winner, though nothing has been finalized yet.
Aperribay confirmed that Real Sociedad will continue talks with Arsenal to finalize the transfer terms.
Aperribay acknowledged that Merino, who previously played in the Premier League with Newcastle United, is keen on returning to English football.
“Last week we had a meeting with Arsenal, on Saturday we had another conversation and we haven’t had any more,” Aperribay stated about the current negotiations.
“We will have one this week and we will see how the conversations progress. We are going to defend the interests of Real and, when we consider that the operation is the right one for the interests of Real, we will say yes, but not before then.”
He further explained Merino’s stance, noting that while the midfielder is loyal to Real Sociedad, he has expressed a strong desire to return to the Premier League, stating, “Mikel feels very much like a Real fan, but he told us that, if a Premier League team came, he wanted to fulfil his dream of returning to the Premier League and trying to be successful and that, if not, we would talk about renewing.”
Aperribay also revealed that he was informed by sporting director Roberto Olabe about Arsenal’s interest while in Japan for pre-season.
“When I was in Japan [during pre-season], [sporting director] Roberto [Olabe] called to tell me that Arsenal had called us and from that conversation we knew that Mikel was going to say yes to Arsenal. We would have liked him not to have come or to have done it earlier.”
Over the weekend, Merino was absent from Real Sociedad’s squad for their La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano, but he made an appearance at the game to greet fans, proudly displaying his Euro 2024 medal.
