Josh Kroenke has been told why Mikel Arteta wants to sign Mikel Merino before the summer transfer window closes.

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Josh Kroenke was at Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal’s opening match of the new Premier League season. The Gunners beat Wolves 2-0 on Saturday afternoon, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka at both ends of the first half.

Worryingly, in the final minutes of the clash, Declan Rice appeared to be injured. The 25-year-old midfielder was spotted limping and holding his right calf before being replaced by Gabriel Jesus.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Mikel Arteta provided an update on Rice. The Arsenal boss said: “It’s true he had cramps. He hasn’t had the longest pre-season. But he really tried and he put in another unbelievable performance. At the end of the game, he struggled a little bit.”

Like Bukayo Saka, who was also substituted late in the game, Rice returned to North London at the end of the game after a long break following Euro 2024. football.london understands the former West Ham captain is fine and will be fine for the match next, but Arsenal could soon bring in a replacement anyway.

In fact, football.london understands that Arsenal are interested in signing Mikel Merino as they hope to strengthen their options in midfield. The Gunners have recently been given a strong boost in their hopes of completing a deal with the 28-year-old.

When facing the Spanish press on Saturday, the Real Sociedad coach revealed that he had left Merino out of the squad for the match against Rayo Vallecano – the opening match of the new La Liga season. Imanol Alguacil also confirmed that the Spain international is currently involved in ‘public negotiations’.