Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino has allegedly been identified by Barcelona as a possible target for next summer's transfer window.
The Catalan outfit are planning to boost their midfield department next year, and the club have been strongly linked with Merino's teammate Martin Zubimendi.
However, it is understood that the La Liga champions have now dropped their interest in Zubimendi, as they want a player with a different profile to the Spain international.
According to Fichajes, Merino has huge admirers at Camp Nou, and Barcelona are now seriously considering making a move for the 27-year-old during next summer's transfer window.
The report claims that the Catalan outfit would have to pay in the region of €60m (£51.7m) to sign him despite the fact that the midfielder's contract only has 18 months left to run.
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Merino started his professional career with Osasuna before making the move to Borussia Dortmund, but he found it difficult to make his mark for the German outfit, representing them just nine times.
The midfielder joined Newcastle on loan in July 2017 before completing a permanent move to the Magpies, and he featured on 25 occasions for the club during the 2017-18 campaign ahead of a switch to Real Sociedad.
The Spaniard has made 216 appearances for his current side, contributing 21 goals and 28 assists in the process, including two goals and three assists in 19 outings this term.
"I said it before and I'll say it again, in case it's not clear. Mikel Merino is the best player in La Liga", Real Sociedad head coach Imanol Alguacil told France24 in early 2021.
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Barcelona will be without the services of Gavi for the remainder of the campaign due to a serious knee injury, so head coach Xavi is one midfielder down from the start of the season.
Oriol Romeu was given a chance to impress against Royal Antwerp on Wednesday, but he made two mistakes which led to goals in Barcelona's 3-2 loss in the Champions League.
Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan are also options in that area of the field, but the club did not sign a direct replacement for Sergio Busquets over the summer.
Barcelona are expected to be active next summer, with the club keen to sign Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo on permanent deals from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
However, their financial issues could mean that a major sale needs to happen, and Ronald Araujo is currently being linked with both Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
