La Real chief reveals Merino talks with Arsenal
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay revealed the club will talk to Arsenal over a potential transfer for Mikel Merino, admitting the midfielder has a price.
Merino was left out of La Real's squad for their opening match of the season in LaLiga, a 2-1 defeat at home to Rayo Vallecano.
The 28 year-old, part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024 last month, has made 242 appearances for La Real since joining from Newcastle United in 2018.
Reports have suggested Arsenal is working to bring him back to the Premier League in the closing days of the transfer window, with a fee of around £29.8million mooted after Merino entered the final 12 months of his contract in San Sebastian.
Aperribay has since revealed La Real are open to a sale for the right price after Merino indicated he was unwilling to renew his deal with the club.
"Merino was clear that he didn't want to say he was renewing and then leave. It wasn't a surprise to us," Aperribay said. "Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn't want to show up showed up. We will talk to Arsenal and defend the interests of La Real.
"When we consider that the offer is good, we will say yes. We know what Merino's wishes are, so we decided that he should not be called up [on Sunday]."
