Arsenal set to make money back on Mikel Merino before even unveiling midfielder

Arsenal are poised to retrieve nearly the entire amount spent on Mikel Merino’s impending transfer from Real Sociedad after reportedly accepting an offer for striker Eddie Nketiah.

The Gunners have been fielding offers for the 24-year-old throughout the summer transfer window, but no club has managed to meet their demands for a £30million package.

Both Nottingham Forest and Marseille failed in their attempts to prise Nketiah away from the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar held firm on their valuation.

However, Crystal Palace have managed to find an agreement with their London rivals after submitting an official £25m bid, with another £5m offered in add-ons, according to The Athletic.

It’s anticipated that personal terms won’t be an issue for Palace as they look to strengthen their frontline after losing their opening two games of the season. The two clubs are in ‘direct talks’ as negotiations continue.

The deal means Mikel Arteta will have to rely upon Kai Havertz to spearhead the frontline in the near future, with Gabriel Jesus currently out injured. The Spaniard also indicated he would be willing to use Leandro Trossard as a makeshift No. 9 in the event of Havertz also suffering a fitness issue.

But selling Nketiah does at least solve one problem for Arteta and Edu, as they are set to balance the books against their acquisition of Spain international Merino, who is waiting for his move to be finalised.

Arsenal struck an agreement with their Basque counterparts which will see them shell out an initial £27million for Merino, plus a further £4.25m could be paid in add-ons.

The former Newcastle midfielder will sign a four-year deal to June 2028 with the north London outfit to become their fourth summer signing after David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori and Tommy Setford.

After spending months haggling over the fee for Merino, with La Real originally requesting his £35m release clause to be paid in full, Arsenal have saved themselves several millions.

But now, with Nketiah heading for the exit, there will be only a minor imbalance in the transfer budget – effectively wiping out Merino’s transfer fee altogether.

Nketiah’s departure also counts towards the club adhering to PSR regulations as he came through the club’s academy at London Colney. His £25m sale can therefore be registered into the club’s accounts as a ‘pure profit’ sale.

The same applies for Emile Smith Rowe, who joined Fulham in a deal worth £34m, pointing to Arsenal’s ability to extract high fees for their homegrown players.