Real Sociedad “desperate” to stop deals with Arsenal and Liverpool

Real Sociedad have already lose Robin Le Normand this summer, and there’s also a very real possibility that he could end up parting ways with two more key players – those being Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi. The midfield maestros are being courted by Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, and both operations are advanced.

La Real had appeared resigned to losing both players, but they’ve now ramped up their efforts to keep them at Donostia-San Sebastian. Noticias de Gipuzkoa have reported that the club has improved their contract offers to both players. This would make Merino and Zubimendi the highest-paid players in Imanol Alguacil’s squad, although it’s likely that they would still be paid more if they moved to the Premier League.

The report notes that Merino’s future should be resolved in the next few days. Arsenal have been pushing hard to sign him ever since Euro 2024 ended, but so far, nothing has been decided. Liverpool are also expecting to have Zubimendi in their squad ahead of the Premier League season kicking off next weekend.

Real Sociedad are banking on their players remaining loyal to the club, although it’s far from certain that either Merino or Zubimendi will continue beyond this summer. The situations are finely poised at this stage.