Mikel Merino set to sign for Arsenal after Real Sociedad accept £32m offer

Arsenal are set to complete the ­signing of Mikel Merino after Real Sociedad accepted an offer for the Spain midfielder worth over £32m. Negotiations over a deal for the 28-year-old have been taking place for several weeks with Sociedad’s president insisting Arsenal must match their asking price for Merino.

Jokin Aperribay was ­understood to have arrived in London for ­further talks with Arsenal’s sporting ­director, Edu, on Wednesday, with a ­breakthrough then reached 24 hours later.

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Arsenal are believed to have agreed to pay £28m up front for the former Newcastle midfielder who had one year of his contract with Sociedad remaining, with another £4.2m in potential bonuses. Merino is expected to sign a four-year deal having been left out of Sociedad’s first game of the season, a 2-1 defeat at home against Real Vallecano on Sunday. He had made no secret of his desire to join Arsenal after rejecting the offer of a new contract.

“Merino was clear that he didn’t want to say he was renewing and then leave. It wasn’t a surprise to us,” said Aperribay. “Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn’t want to show up showed up.”

Arsenal remain in talks with ­Nottingham Forest over Eddie ­Nketiah after a £25m offer was rejected last week. They are expected to increase their bid for the 25-year-old striker, who has agreed personal terms for a move to the City Ground, with ­Arsenal likely to accept £30m.

Wolves have also made an offer to take goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on loan, with Espanyol’s Joan García mooted as his replacement should the England goalkeeper leave.