Newcastle are ready to listen to offers for Mikel Merino with Athletic Bilbao poised to move for the Spanish midfielder.
Bilbao will be flush with cash once the £57 million deal taking defender Aymeric Laporte to Manchester City is finalised and the La Liga club are poised to reinvest a chunk of that money in Merino, whom they attempted to sign in the summer.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has been a huge hit on Tyneside since he joined from Borussia Dortmund on loan in July, a deal fellow countryman and Magpies boss Rafael Benitez swiftly turned into a permanent one in October following Merino’s superb start to life in a black and white shirt before a back injury curtailed his form.
However, Spanish publication Marca are claiming that Newcastle are prepared to sell Merino and the Spain under-21 international is open to leaving St James’ Park, the report citing a lack of game time in recent months and the instability at the club under Mike Ashley’s rocky stewardship.
Whether Benitez would countenance selling such a key figure in his team and an immensely popular player so close to the end of the transfer window with no replacement lined up remains to be seen.
