Arsenal are pushing to bring Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino to the Emirates Stadium this summer in a move that could deliver a knock-on suckerpunch to London rivals West Ham.
It has emerged this week that the Gunners have agreed personal terms with the Spaniard, who wants to make the move to the Premier League, with just a fee now to be settled with the La Liga side. Arsenal are believed to have had a first £25 million rejected with Sociedad slapping a £30 million price tag on the Euro 2024 winner.
The progress of that deal could be of particular interest to West Ham with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano telling GIVEMESPORT that the club could bring in yet another new arrival to the London Stadium this summer in PSG man Carols Soler.
The midfielder is supposedly wanted by Julen Lopetegui, who has been nothing short of ruthless so far in his first transfer window as West Ham manager. However, Soler is also wanted by other clubs, including Sociedad.
The report claims that should Sociedad green light a move for Merino to join Arsenal, they will make a determined swoop for the PSG midfielder, who is valued at £17 million. That could be trouble for West Ham.
The 27-year-old started just 12 Ligue 1 games for the French giants last season and is expected to leave the French capital after just two years.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano said: “That (Soler) is a concrete option for West Ham. It’s true, he’s one of the names they have on their shortlist. And now, obviously they will also need to assess all the possibilities and consider all the options. They’ve been fantastic in the summer transfer window. Wan-Bissaka was also a tough one, not an easy deal. They’ve been able to get it done on player and club side, and it was a complicated negotiation.
“Todibo was a crazy saga. So they’ve been putting a lot of efforts into bringing in these new players in recent weeks. Now they are considering Carlos Soler, it’s true, it’s a possibility. I think he could probably be the next one.”
