German newspaper BILD revealed that Arsenal is monitoring young defensive midfielder Hugo Larsson of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hugo Larsson has made a splash since moving to Eintracht Frankfurt from Malmo last summer (the fee was not disclosed, but was a record amount for a Swedish club).
Larsson himself revealed interest from many big names, saying last week: “Of course, I read when clubs are interested in me, but that was also the case at Malmo.”
The midfielder added: “I love living here and now, Eintracht is the perfect club for me to develop. In Sweden, traditionally everyone is focused on the Premier League and I am absolutely dreaming to play there one day. But for now I feel very comfortable in the Bundesliga.”
Arsenal is putting Larsson in their sights. This is understandable because Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are about to expire while Thomas Partey may be sold. The Gunners’ midfield will need a major addition in the summer. That’s why they wanted to recruit Larsson as well as contact Joshua Kimmich recently.
20 goals and 27 assists: Arsenal wants to sign Sociedad’s €60m blockbuster
According to Fichajes, coach Mikel Arteta wants to upgrade the quality of the midfield in the upcoming January transfer window.
Mikel Merino is a product of the Osasuna youth academy. He left Spain in 2016 and played for Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United before returning to his homeland to join Real Sociedad in 2018.
Since then, the 27-year-old has developed a strong career and become one of the best midfielders in La Liga.
To date, Merino has made more than 200 appearances for Sociedad, scoring 20 goals and 27 assists. His classy performances are now attracting interest from many big clubs, some of which include Arsenal .
In a context where Thomas Partey is often injured and Jorginho is getting older, coach Mikel Arteta needs to find a way to strengthen the midfield alongside Declan Rice. For that reason, he targeted Merino.
However, the fee in this deal is not cheap. According to sources from Fichajes, Sociedad only agreed to release the player if the contract release clause worth 60 million euros was activated.