£21m midfielder has Newcastle United 'in his heart' as Arsenal weigh up move

The 28-year-old spent just one season on Tyneside, initially arriving on loan from Borussia Dortmund in 2017. But within three months, a clause to make the move permanent was triggered.

Merino quickly became a favourite with the fans with his most memorable moment being his late winner to beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at St James’ Park. However, his stay lasted just 25 games after Real Sociedad activated his £10million release clause.

For years, Newcastle supporters had wondered why Merino moved on so soon and for such a small fee. Those questions were only recently answered by then manager Rafa Benitez.

“We convinced him (Merino) to come (with a low release clause),” Benitez told Spanish publication AS. “From the beginning, we knew that his time at Newcastle was going to be fleeting.

“The idea was that he would bring us quality and convince him to stay with us longer but, due to his quality and being Basque, he was a player that was impossible to retain.”

Since his exit, the now 27-year-old has established himself as an international for Spain with performances for Real Sociedad attracting interest from a host of clubs, including Arsenal. With the midfielder out-of-contract next summer, there are suggestions Merino is available for around £21m.

As speculation surrounds his future, Merino spoke to Spanish newspaper Faro de Vigo and one of the subjects was his time at Newcastle. Indeed, the former Osasuna man spoke fondly about Newcastle fans and St James’ Park.

Merino said: “Very good. What marked me the most in Newcastle was the stadium, the fans. I think it was a unique life, feeling what St James’ Park is, I will always have it in my heart and mind because it is something unique.

“Get a ball in your area and people go crazy shouting as if you were about to score a goal, and I said ‘let’s see, there are 80 metres to there and they are 11 ahead. It is impossible for us to score a goal’. But people believed it and encouraged you to move forward.”