Mikel Merino’s transfer from Newcastle United to Real Sociedad continues to be reported as pretty much done by the Spanish press.
In the past few days, we’ve been covering a couple of claims saying the La Liga side will be paying €10-12m for the midfielder, and the deal could be announced in the next few days.
Now as Abc de Sevilla backs-up the deal, they write an interesting piece on the race for the midfielder, which had two other clubs involved.
The newspaper claims that Real Bétis were in advanced talks to sign Merino, offering him the same contract length as Real Sociedad. The player was seen by the club from Sevilla as a top target for the summer window.
The problem is that the personal terms offered by Real Sociedad were better, leading the player to choose them. The fact that the club is closer to his home town has also weighed on his decision.
Athletic Club Bilbao are another who have shown interest in Merino, but they ended up leaving the race after concluding that he wouldn’t fit the club’s project for the next season.
Merino’s move to Real Sociedad has been confirmed to Abc by Bahia International, the company which takes care of his career. Just like their media compatriots, the outlet also states that Newcastle are making the sale for €10-12m.
