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Transfers
Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal have made contact with ‘world-class’ player after signing Riccardo Calafiori
After securing the signature of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, Arsenal are pushing ahead to sign another one of their key targets this summer.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have been hard at work to bolster their squad ahead of the start of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Arsenal came ever so close to winning the title in the previous campaign – they took it to the final game of the season and fell just two points short. That was heartbreaking!
Now, with Calafiori’s signing completed, Arsenal are ready to push for their next target, and contact has been made with one player.
Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal have made contact with Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino is high on Arsenal’s wish list.
The Gunners are on the market for a new midfielder this summer, and they have been linked with several names over the last few months.
Arsenal decided against making moves for Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana, who have now joined Juventus and Aston Villa respectively.
TBR Football exclusively revealed that Merino has emerged as Arsenal’s top target after signing Calafiori, and it looks like things are picking up pace.
The Spaniard, branded as ‘world-class’ by Kieran Tierney (), is expected to leave Real Sociedad having entered the final year of his contract, and Arsenal have begun talks.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who has revealed that the Gunners have made ‘some contact’ on the player’s side to discuss a potential move this summer.
He told : “Merino is one of the names they have on the list. In this case, there is no proposal on the table. But there is interest and they made some contact with the player’s side.
“The relationship is also good. Mikel Arteta used to follow Real Sociedad a lot as they have been playing very attractive football in recent years. He knows Mikel Merino very well.”
Mikel Arteta’s masterplan to make Arsenal great again
Arsenal’s recruitment has been almost flawless over the last two seasons.
The Gunners have come a long way on that front – gone are the days when they would pay crazy amounts of money for unproven players.
Everything is well-planned now, and you can see why Arsenal are targeting certain players.
In the 2023/24 season, if you had to name a weakness in the Gunners’ side, it was the left side of their pitch. Granit Xhaka’s departure was a huge blow and affected both the left winger and the left back.
Arteta has identified that and Calafiori solves one huge issue. Merino will definitely solve the other, and that could be enough for Arsenal to go all the way in the title race.
If Arsenal can add Merino into the mix and then manage to bring in a prolific forward, the Gunners will likely start the season as the favourites to win the Premier League.