The Gunners and Real Sociedad have been negotiating Mikel Merino’s transfer throughout the summer, with talks accelerating in the past week. Recent reports from The Mirror suggest that Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has traveled to London to finalize the deal, giving Arsenal a significant boost.

Last week, Sociedad hinted at Merino’s imminent departure by excluding him from their matchday squad for their La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano, a game they lost 2-1.

Sociedad’s Aperribay has further confirmed that the club is open to letting the 28-year-old leave for the right price, noting Merino’s clear desire to move: “We understand Merino’s wishes, which is why we chose not to include him in Sunday’s match.”

Merino will be hoping for a swift resolution between Arsenal and Sociedad so he can join Mikel Arteta’s squad and start the next phase of his career. Arsenal’s next game is against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mikel Merino

This season he played in total 32 times for 2499 minutes for La Liga.

Mikel Merino scored 5 goals for Real Sociedad. He procured 3 assists. He received 10 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 7th in La Liga. In the last match Real Sociedad lost 2-1 against Rayo Vallecano. The next match in La Liga will be against Espanyol.

Real Sociedad performance and stats

Real Sociedad is currently 18th in the La Liga with 0 points.

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 1 goals and conceding 2.​

Real Sociedad will play the next match in La Liga against Deportivo Alavés on Wednesday 28th of August in San Sebastián.​

Arsenal performance and stats

Arsenal is currently 4th in the Premier League with 3 points.

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 2 goals and conceding 0.​

Arsenal will play the next match in Premier League against Aston Villa on Saturday 24th of August in Birmingham. The prediction is Arsenal winning the match.​