‘It’s close’ – Benitez confirms Newcastle on the verge of fifth summer signing
By Danny Wright
Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Newcastle are “close” to completing the signing of midfielder Mikel Merino from Borussia Dortmund.
Sky Sports reports that the 20-year-old is undergoing a medical on Tyneside ahead of a season-long loan move from the Signal Iduna Park with a view to a permanent deal in the future.
It is understood that once the Spain Under-21 international passes his medical and shakes hands over his personal terms, he will become the Magpies’ fifth signing of the summer after Christian Atsu, Florian Lejeune, Jacob Murphy and Javier Manquillio.
Speaking after Newcastle’s 4-0 friendly victory over Bradford on Wednesday, Benitez has revealed that they are on the verge of striking up an agreement with Merino.
“It’s close, little things to do, but hopefully we can do it,” said the Newcastle manager, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“It would be another player of quality and that is something we maybe need a little bit more of in the squad.”
Merino only signed for Borussia Dortmund from Osasuna last summer, but struggled to make an impact in Germany as he earned just two starts in the Bundesliga.
The defensive midfielder, who can also play at centre-back, featured nine times across all competitions for Dortmund last term.
Merino has already been confirmed to have been left out of Dortmund’s pre-season squad to travel to Switzerland due to having talks with another club.
Football Insider Verdict
Merino looks like he could be a good signing for Benitez, who still has a lot of work to do to ensure that his squad is fully up for the challenge of Premier League football. The season is now just over two weeks away and Newcastle are still short of a top class striker. Benitez must try to sniff out a new hitman to spearhead his attack next season, otherwise the Tynesiders could find themselves in another potential relegation battle. Merino’s signing can only work out if gaps are filled in the rest of the squad, because the Magpies are still expected to concede plenty of goals over the course of the next season.
In other Newcastle news, fans have reacted to the news of Merino’s impending arrival by dubbing him as the ‘next Xabi Alonso’.
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