Arsenal have submitted a formal bid of ₤25 million to sign midfielder Mikel Merino from TReal Sociedad.
Personal terms have already been agreed, with Merino ready to shun interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona in order to join the Gunners.
If he does move, this will not be his first experience of playing in England.
He had a spell at Newcastle United on loan whilst he was a Borussia Dortmund playing, where he featured under Rafa Benitez.
Merino subsequently became a fixture at Real Sociedad, and one of those he played alongside, was the current Arsenal captain, Martin Ødegaard who spent time on loan in San Sebastián during his Real Madrid days.
He featured in all seven matches for Spain in Euro 2024, his biggest impact coming in the quarter-final against Germany when he came off the bench to score the winner with a header.
One of his key strengths is versatility, a primary requirement for any player as far as Mikel Arteta is concerned.
