Arsenal: Berta prepares shock sale of Arteta starter as they line up £70m ‘offer’ for La Liga star
Arsenal are prepared to move on one of Mikel Arteta’s starters in order to bring in Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oihan Sancet, according to reports.
The Gunners have made a decent start to the season with three wins from four in the Premier League after they bounced back from a narrow defeat at Liverpool to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 last weekend.
Arsenal have been fully behind Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta in the summer transfer market with the Gunners sanctioning eight new signings.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie all moved to the Emirates Stadium over the summer.
But Berta and Arteta are not completely satisfied with their squad and are already attempting to add to it in the near future with reported interest in Bilbao midfielder Sancet.
Spanish website Fichajes insists that Arsenal have ‘set their sights’ on signing Spain international Sancet, who ‘remains in the sights of several of the world’s top teams’.
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The Gunners will not find negotiations easy ‘as the Basque club does not usually negotiate easily with players considered indispensable’ with his ‘ability to break lines and appear in the box is what most appeals to Arsenal’.
Arteta ‘was impressed’ by what he saw from his compatriot as Arsenal beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in midweek and believes Sancet ‘could be the missing piece to perfect a midfield’ with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
The most interesting aspect of the report is the claim that Berta is thinking about offloading Arsenal starter Mikel Merino, who signed for the Gunners from Real Sociedad in 2024.
Merino’s potential departure ‘opens the door to a restructuring of the midfield’ and Arsenal ‘are preparing an offer of around €80m (£70m) for the summer of 2026’ for Sancet.
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Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday in the Premier League with both sides already losing ground to leaders Liverpool in the title race.
When asked what type of game he is expecting on Sunday, Arsenal boss Arteta told reporters: “There will be moments. It has been in the past as well, in the last few years. They have changed quite a bit, especially in the backline and they recruited Erling [Haaland] as well.
“We’ve modified a few things because of the quality of the midfield, which is normal, and there is a tendency in football, especially because of the way teams are defending. But it has certain implications for how teams react to them.”
