The Gunners have a potential target in this summer transfer window.

Last season, Arsenal made the Premier League race more attractive by creating a score comparison with Manchester City until the final round. The Gunners believe that if they have significant additions in terms of personnel, they will go even further.

Therefore, the Emirates Stadium team is implementing a plan to upgrade the quality of the squad right now.

It seems that Mikel Arteta is about to welcome his first major contract in the coming days as they have reached almost every agreement to recruit midfielder Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.

However, it does not stop there, Arsenal will also bring in many other new faces, but at the present time, they want to give priority to the central midfielder position. In recent days, the prestigious daily newspaper The Athletic revealed that the Gunners are looking to persuade Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino to move to the Emirates.

The Athletic confirmed that Arteta is a big fan of the 28-year-old’s comprehensive talent and especially his “physicality”.

Merino’s age makes him an unusual signing for the Gunners considering their transfer activity over the last few transfer windows, but signing the Spain midfielder would also create a stir. Neutralize experience and youth like Arsenal did with Leandro Trossard or Jorginho.

No price was mentioned in the story, but several Spanish sources last month revealed that the Merino would cost around £21m. This could turn out to be a bargain, especially if the 28-year-old star can create a great partnership with Rice.

The Spaniard has played in many different positions before, but most of his appearances – 241 to be exact – have been in the center of midfield, not as a defensive midfielder or midfielder. attack, which is in the middle of the field, like a number 8.

This is the area where the former West Ham United captain played 19 times for the Gunners last season. Although Rice affirmed that playing higher up made him excited, the Arsenal blockbuster also emphasized that his forte is still the anchor midfielder.

So if he can bring Merino to the Emirates, Arteta can return Rice to “where he belongs” and have himself a real number 8 to join Martin Odegaard in creating gameplay.

In 45 appearances last season, the 28-year-old scored eight goals and provided five assists, meaning he was involved in an average goal every 3.4 games – he also showed demonstrated that ability with a header that eliminated Germany from EURO.

This level of performance is only slightly lower than Rice’s average last season (1 goal every 3 matches). Furthermore, Rice gets to collaborate with more classy stars than Merino.

Ultimately, midfielders with this height can actually improve the overall solidity of the team.

According to Squawka, he was the only player in Europe’s top seven leagues last season to win more than 300 duels throughout the season – 326 to be exact.

Rice had a fantastic transformation in midfield last season when he was moved into a more advanced role, but by signing Merino, Arteta can get the most out of the former West Ham star by Let him play to his strengths and hand over the number 8 position to Merino. For only £21 million, this transfer was a no-brainer.