Mikel Arteta wants to add experience to Arsenal next season by recruiting Mikel Merino.

Arsenal is planning to recruit Mikel Merino, the midfielder who just won EURO 2024 with the Spanish team. The “Gunners” are said to have been interested in Merino before the tournament in Germany started and now, his reputation This player is even more impressive.

The 28-year-old player appeared in all 7 of Spain’s matches at EURO 2024, but mainly started from the bench. This midfielder scored the decisive goal to help La Roja defeat Germany in the quarterfinals.

Merino has been a stable player for Real Sociedad in the last 6 seasons. The 28-year-old midfielder was previously teammates with Martin Odegaard – Arsenal’s captain. If Mikel Arteta successfully recruits the Spanish international, he will have another quality defensive midfielder. Of course, they will face fierce competition from many other “big guys”.

In addition to Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also interested in the player born in 1996, who is valued at about 20 million pounds.

This week, The Gunners are also expected to discuss recruiting Bologna midfielder Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian international had an excellent EURO 2024 campaign even though the Azzurri stopped in the eighth round. Previously, Calafiori also contributed greatly to helping Bologna win tickets to the Champions League for the 2024-2025 season.

Arteta is keen to strengthen his defense after finishing second in a row in the Premier League for the second consecutive season. Therefore, this strategist has identified Calafiori as the leading candidate and is trying to promote an official agreement.