Arsenal are ready to move for a new midfielder available at a cut-price fee this summer, with Mikel Arteta having already made the call personally, according to reports.

Arsenal chase reinforcements

After a second consecutive Premier League runners up medal, Arsenal are on the hunt for reinforcements to go one better next season.

Midfield is one of the key areas that needs additions, with Jorginho not getting any younger and Thomas Partey having managed just nine Premier League starts in another injury hit campaign that has opened the door to his potential departure.

Elsewhere, Albert Sambi Lokonga is likely to depart in a move that will leave the midfield depth looking threadbare, and likely demand at least one new face this summer. Now, it seems that they have identified who they want that to be.

Gunners want Spanish star

That comes as Arsenal are reportedly the latest side to throw their hat in the ring for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino. The Spaniard has already tasted Premier League football before courtesy of a loan spell at Newcastle United, but has been rebuilding his career in Spain with Sociedad after a tough stint at Borussia Dortmund, and has grown into one of the most influential midfielders in LaLiga.

Discussing the midfielder on X, analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed the Spaniard "underrated" and placed him in the same category as the likes of Khephren Thuram and Youssouf Fofana, both of whom Arsenal have been linked with previously.

And though plenty of speculation has surrounded Arsenal's potential pursuit of Martin Zubimendi this summer, it is seemingly Merino that the Gunners have opted to move for.

That is according to Spanish media [via Sport Witness], who claim that Arteta has already called the midfielder to outline the "big plans" that he has for his role in the Arsenal setup, with the Spaniard wanting to sign the Sociedad man "no matter what" this summer, and having "absolute confidence" in the 28-year-old's ability.

With Merino heading into the final 12 months of his £52,000 a week deal with Sociedad, they are not planning to hold out for his £55m release clause, and will instead aim to sell him for around 25m euros (£21.1m) rather than lose him for free next summer. To that end, he has attracted several suitors, with Barcelona among those reportedly interested.

Quizzed on his future, he was hardly commited to staying at Sociedad, but admitted that any move would have to wait until after EURO 2024, with his side already qualified to the knockout stages of the competition.

"When the Euro is over and the days go by, I will meet with the club and my representative, to see what they have to say to me and what they don’t, and we’ll see.

“You never know where football can take you, and I am willing to continue my career wherever my heart and my head ask me to”, he explained.

If Arteta gets his way, he could be pulling on a red and white shirt come next season alongside former teammate Martin Odegaard.