United prepare to lose midfield star Merino

NEWCASTLE United are braced to lose the services of Mikel Merino.

Rafa Benitez had hoped the Spanish Under-21 international would stay and fight for his place ahead of next season – but the Magpies are now resigned to losing the Pamplona-born player.

Real Sociedad are expected to complete a deal worth around £10m due to a clause sewn into the deal signed last year.

The La Liga side look to have won the race to sign Merino after agreeing to offer him a five-year contract and beating Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis and Sevilla to his signature.

United’s backroom team are not expecting to see Merino back at the club’s Benton base after getting word from Spain that the midfielder is disappointingly prepared to call time on his Toon career after just one season.

With no guarantees of playing every week, and on the back of Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame’s sparkling form last season, Merino is ready to look for a new challenge.

The situation is far from ideal for Benitez and United with the club’s slow recruitment process causing frustration for supporters with six weeks left of the transfer window.

With Benitez hoping to add four or five new faces to his squad for pre-season training the Toon boss now finds himself looking for an extra and rather unexpected further addition.

Merino is yet to return from holiday but, barring a last-minute change of heart, his time on Tyneside looks over after just 24 Premier League appearances and one goal.

Merino started just one match since January and made only three substitute appearances for Newcastle – and played 20 minutes in total – across the final two months of the season, during which he sometimes failed to make the match-day squad even when fit.

It is understood that Merino’s representatives insisted a release clause was inserted into the £8m deal which brought the midfielder to Tyneside from Borussia Dortmund, given that Newcastle themselves had the option to sign the 22-year-old on a permanent basis.