In anticipation of his club earning a profit of £15 million from his sale to the Gunners, one star has now agreed to a four-year contract in principle to join the team this summer.
After Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal is pursuing a second summer acquisition.
After a quiet start to the transfer window, sporting director Edu Gaspar and the larger recruitment team are starting to make more progress with new hires. This week, they finally confirmed the signing of Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, a defender.
The 22-year-old has agreed to a five-year contract and is now a part of Mikel Arteta’s squad for preseason. Before the new Premier League season begins, they will play in the Emirates Cup against Ligue 1 powerhouse Lyon and Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen.
Calafiori is a useful squad member due to his versatility, as he can play both left and center back. However, with deadline day coming up at the end of this month, it’s thought that Arsenal is still looking to add to Arteta’s squad.
Arsenal has reportedly expressed interest in signing a new striker and winger, with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane drawing particular attention.
As Thomas Partey’s future in north London is uncertain, Arteta has also turned his attention to a new midfield player. Given that Partey is in his final year of contract, Arsenal reportedly plans to sell the Ghanaian player before August 30.
Partey, who is 31 years old, had a difficult season last year as well. He missed numerous games because of hamstring and groin issues, which prevented him from being included in Ghana’s AFCON squad halfway through 2023–2024.
It will be interesting to see who steps in to possibly replace the midfielder, who may be nearing the end of his career as an Arsenal player. Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, who made an impression for eventual Euro 2024 champions Spain at the recently concluded tournament, is one player who has been strongly linked.
Arsenal and Merino have reached a basic understanding on a four-year contract.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona executives feel Merino is giving “total priority” to joining Arsenal. Now, HITC asserts that Arteta’s team is making significant progress in their pursuit of the 28-year-old.
According to their latest information, Merino and Arsenal have reached a basic understanding on a four-year contract; there are no personal terms outstanding. This comes after the former star player for Newcastle United turned down Sociedad’s most recent offer to stay, and Arsenal is now attempting to finalize a club-to-club deal.
After paying just £10 million to sign Merino from Newcastle, the La Liga team is holding out for £25 million in order to sell and turn a profit of £15 million.
Merino made 45 appearances for Sociedad in all competitions last season, assisting five goals and scoring eight. However, he also received 14 yellow cards, so his disciplinary record may be one reason to be concerned.
