Barcelona monitoring €50 million-rated La Liga midfielder, contract expires in 2025
Barcelona’s hunt for a new pivot midfielder is well-established by now, with the club searching far and wide in the market for an able option to fill the void left by Sergio Busquets’ exit.
Names like Martin Zubimendi, Joshua Kimmich, and Amadou Onana, among several others, continue to be linked, but financial restrictions make such operations tricky to pull off.
As such, the sporting department, led by director Deco, continue to be on the prowl for feasible options, which has seemingly led them to one of La Liga’s most reliable midfielders.
Mikel Merino on Barcelona’s radars
Indeed, as per Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have set their sights on Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino as a possible option to bolster their midfield.
The Blaugrana’s interest in Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi is no secret, but it appears that they have been following his midfield partner Merino for some time as well.
Barça see the 27-year-old Spanish international as a midfielder with good tactical intelligence, ball delivery, and physical power.
This is not the first time Merino’s name has been considered at Barcelona, with the club having looked at him back when Ronald Koeman was in charge. However, a move did not materialise.
Now, though, the former Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United man is back on the agenda at Can Barça.
Real Sociedad want to renew Merino
What makes Merino an even more enticing option is that his contract with Real Sociedad stands to expire in 2025.
So even though he has a release clause of €60 million, the Basque outfit could be forced to accept a lower proposal in case there is no agreement over a new contract.
However, La Real have already begun talks over an extension for Merino, although the player is yet to respond to the proposal and is taking some time.
The Spaniard wishes to keep playing in the UEFA Champions League which might be a factor in favour of Barcelona. For now, though, no move has been made with the Catalans only staying attentive to his situation.
*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication
