Real Sociedad are confident that they will seal the signing of Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino this week, according to Marca.
The Spanish newspaper report that the Basque club expect a conclusion to proceedings in the coming days, with Merino seemingly having chosen to join them over the other three La Liga clubs in the hunt.
Marca claim that Sociedad’s financial offer has convinced both Merino and Newcastle that an exit is the best option for all parties after just a year on Tyneside.
Good move for Newcastle United?
Not particularly.
Merino is a talented young player, and to lose him after just one year at the club would be a bit of a mistake from Newcastle this summer.
The 22-year-old admittedly struggled during his first term in England but the glimpses of quality he did show suggested that he could go on to become a fan favourite at St. James’ Park.
The sensible move here would be to keep him on for another season and see how his development progresses after having settled in, but that does not look to be the likely outcome now.
Nothing but Newcastle rating: 2/10
Likely to happen?
At first the rumours from the Spanish press seemed like attempts to create something that was not really there, but recently the reports have gained pace.
This suggests that there is some substance somewhere in the claims, and it does look likely that Merino will be making a return to Spain the coming weeks.
The youngster is obviously keen on getting as many minutes as possible and does not see that as a possibility at Newcastle, with Sociedad obviously having given him guarantees on his position within the squad.
As the report states, this could be a crucial week for Merino, and we should know more in the next few days.
