Rhino: Agencies – FC Barcelona have entered into a competition with Juventus to sign one of Real Sociedad’s star players during the summer transfer window.

Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the transfer market, wrote on his Xinhua account: ‘Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino is now a concrete option in Barcelona’s target list to sign a new midfielder.’

‘Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, highly values Merino’s abilities and sees him as one of the names being considered during the summer transfer window,’ he added.

“Merino is also attracting interest from Juventus, but is not the first option on the Old Lady’s list of targets, as the priority remains the signing of Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners.

Mikel Merino is under contract with Real Sociedad until the summer of 2025, and is therefore free to sign for any club, starting in January.