BREAKING: Newcastle open talks to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder
Breaking news out of the blue this afternoon as widespread reports confirm Newcastle have opened talks to sign highly-rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino.
Spanish papers MARCA initially suggested we were set to tie up a loan-deal for the Spanish U-21 international under the noses of Atletico Bilbao, however The Chronicle's Lee Ryder has since stated that it is a permanent deal that is being discussed.
https://twitter.com/lee_ryder/status/890209684430483458
Merino is a defensive minded central midfielder by trade, but can also operate at centre back, standing 6ft 2' tall.
Despite making just 8 appearances in the Bundesliga, he is considered to be one of Dortmund's top young assets, however it has emerged that the Spaniard wants regular first team football and Newcastle have been alerted by his €7M buy-out clause.
Interestingly, Dortmund have since released a tweet confirming that Merino has not travelled with the squad for their pre-season tour of Switzerland, claiming he is 'in discussions with another club':
https://twitter.com/BVB/status/890206064553205761
This one looks like it could be another 'under the radar' signing and seems to be developing quickly.
