Another day and another transfer saga involving Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino. The Spaniard is no longer in Rafael Benitez’s plans, according to Spanish claims, and has a lot of suitors in La Liga.
Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis are all interested in signing the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder. On Wednesday, we carried a report from AS who claimed the 21-year-old has almost agreed to join the San Sebastián outfit.
Today’s edition of Spanish newspaper AS claims Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Betis are still believed to have “some hope” of signing the player. However, Real Sociedad are believed to be ahead of the other two clubs in the race for Merino’s signature.
It’s claimed Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay and other leaders of the club will make a trip to England to negotiate with Newcastle for Merino. The report says a fee close to €12m could be agreed between the two clubs.
The agreement between Sociedad and Newcastle is “almost done”. The two clubs will now negotiate the terms of the transaction and tax details both clubs will pay, which could mean a delay in reaching the final agreement.
Merino will sign a five-year deal and will have €40m release clause in his contract. He will sign a contract with Real Sociedad once he returns from vacation.
If it’s true Athletic and Betis still have some hope, they probably need to act quickly on it.
