Barcelona lead Arsenal, Atletico Madrid in race for Euro 2024 winner | OneFootball

Signing a box-to-box midfielder is one of the priorities for a Barcelona side, which has kickstarted its preparations for the season ahead.

After trying out moves for several top midfielders such as Joshua Kimmich and Martin Zubimendi in the past, Barcelona appear to have now identified Mikel Merino as a viable target.

The Spanish international is facing an uncertain future at Real Sociedad and a potential exit has not been ruled out. He is also a significantly cheaper alternative to the likes of Kimmich and Zubimendi.

Merino wants Barcelona move

A major obstacle for Barcelona, however, was the rising competition in the race to sign Mikel Merino this summer.

The likes of Atletico Madrid and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the Real Sociedad star in recent weeks, making the job all the more difficult for Barcelona.

Merino is keen on joining Barcelona (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

However, according to Alex Pintanel, Barça have received a major boost as the player himself appears to be keen on a move to Camp Nou despite interest from Atleti and Arsenal.

The report adds that Barcelona are even leading both the European giants in the race to sign Merino, who wants a move to Camp Nou despite the assurance of Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta.

The 28-year-old is seen as the ideal fit for the box-to-box role in midfield that new manager Hansi Flick is seeking and the player himself seems to fancy a switch to the Catalan capital.

Decision coming soon?

Over the past few weeks, Barcelona’s negotiations with Real Sociedad for Merino were halted on account of the European Championship.

But with Euros finally over, Merino will be hoping to resolve his future as soon as possible. Barça are confident they can close the deal for a figure of just €20 million.

Such a figure could prove to be quite reasonable for Barcelona, although it first remains to be seen whether or not the club can reduce the salary bill as well – arguably a bigger hurdle for the Blaugrana.