Arsenal are now stepping up their pursuit of Mikel Merino. It is no secret that Mikel Arteta is keen to add to his midfield contingent in this summer transfer window. Whilst Declan Rice is a lynchpin for Arsenal in the middle of the park, he needs more support. For a start, the former West Ham United man has shown that he can shine in the more advanced left-eight midfield role, so Arteta won’t always want him screening the back four at the base of the midfield. On top of that, Jorginho has started to decline. The Italian veteran looked off the pace in pre-season, and whilst there is a chance t…