Mikel Merino is spending most matchdays on the bench, and Atletico Madrid are circling.

The 30-year-old has played just 491 minutes across 14 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season, according to a report in Bilbao Hiria carried by Sport Witness. Mikel Arteta has leaned on Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kai Havertz through a schedule that has put the north Londoners three points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Anfield on 1 November.

Simeone pushing for a loan deal

Spanish outlet Fichajes first reported that Atletico are preparing a January approach built around a loan with a €30m purchase option. That structure, rather than an outright transfer, is designed to spread the cost.

Diego Simeone is said to be the driving force behind the interest. Merino’s profile, strong in the air and a late runner into the box, fits the shape Simeone has built at the Metropolitano, where Atletico sit in the chasing pack behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.

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Merino open to a La Liga return

The player’s own camp has reason to listen. Catalan outlet El Nacional, reported via El Gol Digital, says Merino’s role at Arsenal has been that of a rotation option, “living in the shadow” of senior teammates, and that a La Liga return would appeal.

Bilbao Hiria goes further via Sport Witness: Merino would consider leaving in winter if his playing time does not improve, with Athletic Club also watching. Athletic’s realistic window is the summer, not January, giving Atletico a clear run at the player over the next two months.

Arsenal depth up for an unwanted test

The timing is awkward for Arteta. Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table has been built on a squad deep enough to rotate without losing shape, and Merino, however short on minutes, has been part of that cushion.

Letting him leave in January without a guaranteed replacement arriving before deadline day would thin out a position Arteta has repeatedly protected.

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No formal offer has yet been submitted to Arsenal. The Premier League winter window opens on 1 January, and any Atletico move will depend on whether Merino’s situation at the Emirates changes in the eight weeks between now and then.

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