Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly identified an ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka but faces competition from Barcelona to land his favoured target this summer.
Xhaka's Gunners career appeared to be dead in the water just before Arteta arrived, as he memorably threw his shirt to the ground and swore at jeering fans when being substituted against Crystal Palace in 2019.
Arteta convinced the Switzerland international to stay on for at least another half-season and eventually made him U-turn on his Arsenal future completely, overseeing an unexpected redemption arc.
Xhaka flourished in a more attacking role in the 2022-23 campaign, with Thomas Partey mopping up as the defensive midfielder, although that season proved to be his last in Arsenal colours.
Xhaka ended a seven-year spell at the Emirates to sign for Bayer Leverkusen, forming an integral part of their Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal-winning juggernaut under Xabi Alonso, and Arteta initially struggled to find a natural replacement in that position.
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Arteta 'wants Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino' to succeed Xhaka
The Gunners boss originally trialled Kai Havertz in that slot after his £65m arrival from Chelsea, but that experiment ended in failure, and the German has since flourished as a central striker in red and white.
Havertz's transition to an effective number nine has allowed Declan Rice to shine in a more advanced midfield role, but if Arsenal cannot sign a new number six this summer, he may be forced to spend more time defending next season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Gunners are attentive to the situation of Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino, who has made a name for himself in Spain since an unsuccessful stint in Newcastle United colours.
While on the books at Borussia Dortmund, Merino was loaned out to Newcastle for the 2017-18 Premier League season but only managed one goal and one assist in 25 matches, starting 14 of them.
The Magpies still exercised their right to make Merino's stay permanent, only to immediately sell him to Sociedad, with whom he has recorded 27 goals and 30 assists in 242 appearances, winning one Copa del Rey in the process.
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Merino's rise to prominence in La Liga has seen him become a fully-fledged member of the Spain setup, and he has appeared in all three of their Euro 2024 matches so far, playing the full 90 in their final group-stage success over Albania.
The 28-year-old is also on the radar of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but the former club supposedly believe that Arsenal are the only real threat to their chances of a summer deal for Merino, who is out of contract in 2025.
Arsenal to pursue Merino over Martin Zubimendi?
Should Arsenal make a concerted effort to sign Merino, it could spell the end of their pursuit of a defensive midfielder, as the market has not thrown up many affordable options for Arteta in that position.
Merino's teammate Martin Zubimendi was one of them and could reportedly be available for around £51m thanks to a release clause in his contract, but links with the Spaniard have gone cold in recent weeks.
It is believed that Zubimendi is only prepared to leave Sociedad if Real Madrid or Barcelona come knocking, and a switch to the latter while Arsenal pursue Merino could mean that everybody is a winner.
Ben Knapton
