Arsenal is almost done with their third summer acquisition, but it doesn’t seem probable that they will want to add another striker.
With the exception of signing Riccardo Calafiori from Serie A team Bologna and extending David Raya’s loan from Brentford, the Gunners had a quiet summer transfer window.
After leading Arsenal to consecutive Premier League second-place finishes, Mikel Arteta did not believe his team required a major revamp.
Mikel Merino, a midfielder for Real Sociedad, is one player he has targeted; according to Spanish outlet AS, his transfer to Arsenal is currently only “a matter of hours away.”
Merino has been left out of Sociedad’s squad for their La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as he finalises his move to north London.
The 28-year-old has made over 200 appearances for Real Sociedad and helped Spain win Euro 2024 over the summer, featuring heavily for Luis de la Fuente’s side.
Explaining why Merino will not feature in Sociedad’s league opener, manager Imanol Alguacil said: ‘Mikel Merino is not in the squad because I decided so.
‘He was ready to help the team. We will see if he will be with us next week or not. There are open negotiations.’
While Arsenal close in on Merino, they have also been heavily linked with a move for a new striker this summer.
The Gunners were one of the most prolific teams in Europe last season but had to rely on Kai Havertz up top for the majority of the campaign due to Gabriel Jesus’ issues with injury and a lack of form.
The likes of Victor Osimhen, Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak have been linked with the Premier League runners-up but Arteta has suggested Arsenal will not be signing a striker before the transfer window shuts.
Mikel Arteta drops Arsenal transfer hint
Speaking after Arsenal’s 2-0 opening Premier League win over Wolves, Arteta said: ‘I have faith in [Havertz], we have faith in [Gabriel Jesus].
‘Leandro Trossard] has played in that position. So we have different qualities in there and the best thing we can do is trust the players that we have and try improve them.
‘They are so good and so willing and that’s what we focus on.’
Havertz scored Arsenal’s first goal of the new season midway through the first half against Wolves before Bukayo Saka doubled the hosts’ lead on 74 minutes.
‘What I’ve seen is the willingness,’ Arteta said as he plans a new title challenge. ‘Whether we’re gonna do it [win the title] or not, we’ll have to show it every day in how we play and the results that we take away.
‘In the first game there’s always that uncertainty about how you’re going to react, especially against a difficult opponent. We scored two, kept a clean sheet. Job done, score two, clean sheet, win.
‘Win in any context. You’ll have better days, or worse days. The opposition will guide you to play in a specific type of way.
‘Today we won in a convincing way, but probably in a different way because it’s what the game requires.’