Mikel Merino (Pamplona, 28 years old), arrived at Real Sociedad at 22 after having already played for Osasuna, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle, and now, after being part of the Spanish national team that won the European Championship, he has joined Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who always has his eyes on what happens in Zubieta. The announcement came with suspense, after the player travelled to London last Friday, after saying goodbye to his teammates. Arsenal fans had begun to grow impatient on social media due to the delay in the official announcement.
The agreement between Real and the London club is for a transfer of 32.5 million euros, to which must be added a million more from the FIFA solidarity mechanism, and which could reach 38.5 due to the various variables that both parties have included in the agreement. According to sources close to Real, the club wanted to reach 40 million, and in the negotiations it has come very close. Merino’s former clubs, Osasuna, Borussia and Newcastle, will also benefit from the money from the transfer.
The footballer, who went to Zubieta on Friday morning to say goodbye to his teammates after three days without training with them, flew early in the afternoon of that same day from Hondarribia airport to London, with his family and his agent, on a private flight, to undergo the mandatory medical examination before signing his contract, which has been delayed for several days due to the final details between both clubs, until June 2028, with the possibility of an extension for one more season, and which multiplies the salary he received at Real. Last Thursday, Jokin Aperribay, the Real Sociedad president, signed the transfer agreement in London.
Mikel Merino has been one of the most profitable players for Real Sociedad in the last decade. He arrived in San Sebastián for 12 million euros and immediately became an undisputed starter, constantly growing and being one of the pillars of Imanol Alguacil’s game. At Arsenal he will coincide with Martin Odegaard, with whom he formed in the midfield of Real Sociedad, in one of the best seasons of the club in the last decade. His new team will be one of the candidates to win the Premier League along with Guardiola’s City.
Imanol Alguacil said goodbye to the player he has had under his command in recent years before the match against Espanyol: “To MikelI told him thank you very much. As Real’s coach, I want this kind of farewell. He came at 22, without making it, he had six incredible years, with a brutal performance, a Cup and five participations in Europe, he left money, thirty-something million, he feels at Real and has gone to Arsenal,” and added that, “I want other signings like that.”
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