Mikel Merino (now playing for Arsenal)

[Zero]

That simply shows how desperate Rafa was last summer to get him.

[Kanj]

Will miss him as i think he's got it all to be a fantastic player, but best of luck to him if he does decide to go and thank fuck it's not to another PL club.

 

Frustrating that he doesn't want to stay and develop here, but hopefully we'll use the funds ()

[Hhtoon]

Not that a bad deal. If he'd nailed down a place in the team and was happy playing then you offer a new contract with the clause removed or a greater release value.

[STM]

If giving him a release clause was the only way of getting him, I can sort of understand. In a bizarre way, I'm glad he didn't rekindle his early form as if I'd be gutted at losing him for this price.

 

I'm going to be more angry when we dont replace him.

[Shearergol]

Looking forward to replacing him with Gary Gardner.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Will these Spanish clubs be able to afford the circa £10m release clause? They're not Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid. We've not sold Sels or Mbemba yet due to the interested clubs not being able to match the very modest transfer fees. £10m is peanuts to Premiership clubs. Not to a lot of foreign clubs.

[Shearergol]

Will these Spanish clubs be able to afford the circa £10m release clause? They're not Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid. We've not sold Sels or Mbemba yet due to the interested clubs not being able to match the very modest transfer fees. £10m is peanuts to Premiership clubs. Not to a lot of foreign clubs.

 

It'll be wages as much as transfer fee won't it? We'll no doubt subsidise for a year.

[xLiaaamx]

Why would we?

[Guest]

Aye he can’t have it both ways like.

 

“I’m homesick, I want to play regular football, I want a relatively cheap release clause, oh but I still want my ex employer to continue to pay the difference so that I still get £40k a week.”

[Conjo]

Seem to recall Rafa knew his father and their connection went way back. In fact isn't his dad one of his advisors rather than just agents?

I guess the lad is hungry for first team football and Rafa couldn't guarantee it, I can't say I blame any talented youngster for wanting more playing time but working with Rafa for a few years may have served him better in the long term. We shall see, suspect we will see him playing for Spain at some point in his career.

 

 

This.

 

The guy left Dortmund for us in order to get first team football. Why would he want to stay here if he doesn't get to play regularly? Im assuming the release clause is so he has a way out in the event that what happened at Dortmund happens at Newcastle so he can find someone that actually wants to play him.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mikel-merinos-release-clause-explained-14826489

 

Mikel Merino's release clause explained: Why Newcastle agreed it - and if a replacement is lined up

Newcastle United will be powerless to prevent Mikel Merino leaving - if his release clause is met

 

By Chris Waugh

 

The news that Mikel Merino has a release clause in his Newcastle United contract helps to show why there have been persistent rumours linking the midfielder with an exit this summer.

 

Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla are all chasing the 22-year-old - and, if they exercise the release clause in his contract, United will be powerless to keep Merino if he asks to leave.

 

While the exact figure which any potential buyer much meet has not been confirmed - ESPN reports it is “set at around €12million”, which is roughly £10.5m, but it could be as much as €15m (£13.2m) - it is understood the clause does exist.

 

But why did Newcastle agree for such a clause to be inserted into Merino’s contract? Does Rafa Benitez actually want to sell the midfielder? And do United have a replacement lined up already in case Merino does depart? NUFC Writer Chris Waugh explains...

 

Why did Newcastle agree to let Merino have a release clause in his contract?

When the Magpies signed Merino last summer, the midfielder was a relative unknown on Tyneside.

 

But he was already regarded as one of the most promising midfielders in the Spain national set up - and had attracted plenty of interest from clubs in Iberia.

 

Bilbao’s interest is well documented, and they were confident of signing Merino last summer, only for Newcastle to convince the midfielder to move to Tyneside instead of back to the Basque Country.

 

Given the competition for his signature, the Magpies needed to make certain concessions when agreeing a contract with Merino.

 

For a start, it was Newcastle who wanted the option-to-buy clause inserted into the loan deal which took Merino to Tyneside in the first place. That is why United were able to pay the additional £6million, on top of the initial £2m loan fee, to make the midfielder’s transfer permanent.

 

Release clauses are common place in Spain - with just about every player in La Liga having one - and Merino’s representatives demanded that he had one in his deal.

 

Remember, Newcastle themselves activated Florian Lejeune’s £8.8m release clause in order to bring the Frenchman from Eibar last summer, while they did likewise to lure Mo Diame from Hull City in 2016.

 

Seemingly Merino’s representatives wanted to ensure he could move on after 12 months if he did not succeed in England, given that they believed the midfielder was taking a gamble in choosing the Premier League over La Liga in the first place, following an unsuccessful 12 months in La Liga.

 

Why exactly Newcastle agreed to such a low release clause is unclear - the exact figure has not been confirmed, although it is understood to be somewhere between €12m (£10.5m) to €15m (£13.2m) - but it is believed to have been a make-or-break demand from Merino’s representatives.

 

Reports in Spain claim Merino’s agent will negotiate a €40m (£35m) release clause at his next club, leaving open the possibility of a move to a huge club in the future for an attainable price, should he ever fulfil his undoubted potential.

 

Is Benitez willing to let Merino go?

Unfortunately this is partly out of Benitez's hands.

 

Some Newcastle fans have expressed fears that the United hierarchy could sell players against Benitez’s will this summer, but that is not expected to be the case - and, should Merino depart, the Magpies would have been powerless to keep him.

 

If Sociedad, or indeed any of Merino’s other three suitors, exercise the release clause then he can leave if he wants to. Newcastle encountered the same unfortunate situation with Demba Ba back in January 2013 when, ironically, then-Chelsea manager Benitez activated the £7m option in the striker’s United contract.

 

Ideally Benitez would like Merino to stay; when he brought the youngster to the North East last summer, he knew there was raw talent with which he could work.

 

Merino displayed that in abundance during the first two months of his Newcastle career, and there was genuine joy expressed by United fans when United completed his permanent acquisition in October. At £8m, he appeared to be a snip.

 

But, after suffering from a lower-back injury in November, Merino’s form nose-dived and he failed to force his way back into the starting XI.

 

Mo Diame and Jonjo Shelvey’s imperious form after Christmas saw Merino pushed out of the side.

 

He has started just one match since January and made only three substitute appearances for Newcastle - and played 20 minutes in total - across the final two months of the season, during which time he sometimes failed to even make the matchday squad when fit.

 

As a result, Merino himself is agitating for first-team football. His father, Angel, is a former player and is one of the midfielder’s key advisors - and also a long-time friend of Benitez’s - and he seems to believe his son must move on if he is to play regularly.

 

From Merino’s perspective, he views it as two seasons at Dortmund and then Newcastle when he has played fewer than half of the games during that time due to injury and form.

 

Benitez is attempting to convince Merino that Newcastle remains the best place for the midfielder to develop and that, after two transfers in as many summers, the 22-year-old needs some stability at this stage in his career.

 

But what the Newcastle manager will not do is promise Merino guaranteed gametime. Benitez has told Merino the same thing he makes clear to all of his charges: if you impress in training and work hard, you will get opportunities.

 

For his part, Merino feels he was not given sufficient chance to prove himself during the second half of last season, though Benitez points to the immense form of Shelvey and Diame to stress why his fellow Spaniard was out of the team.

 

The suggestion from sources at the club is that Merino simply did not show the correct form and application on the training ground to justify regaining his starting place.

 

Unlike Diame and Matt Ritchie, who responded well to being dropped, Merino’s confidence clearly took a knock - and that is another reason why he seems to believe a change of scenery is needed.

 

Do Newcastle have a replacement lined up?

While talk of Jamaal Lascelles or Florian Lejeune departing this summer has been almost dismissed out of hand by sources at Newcastle, the noises regarding Merino’s future have been somewhat different.

 

A potential release clause was mooted behind the scenes some time ago, but it had not been confirmed officially by the club - though it is understood such a contractual obligation does exist.

 

As a result, ever since Benitez was made aware by Merino’s father that the midfielder was considering leaving this summer, the Newcastle manager has been setting about making contingency plans for his potential exit.

 

That is why United have been making enquiries for defensive midfielders this summer, with Benitez knowing he will be powerless to prevent Merino departing if his clause is met and he decides he wants to go.

 

Thiago Maia of Lille is someone Newcastle have watched and, if United could get the 21-year-old Brazilian for a similar fee to that which they recoup for Merino, he would be of interest.

 

Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye is also someone who the Magpies scouted before the Senegal international moved to the Potteries, and United could yet reignite their interest in the 27-year-old.

 

But they are only two of a whole host of defensive-midfielders Benitez’s recruitment team are understood to have scouted.

 

What is clear is that, should Merino depart, then Benitez wants a replacement brought through the door.

 

Jack Colback has no future at Newcastle, while Henri Saivet is available for transfer, and Benitez does not want to be left with only Shelvey, Diame and Isaac Hayden as options to fill the two deep-lying spots in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

 

It is not entirely beyond the realms of possibility that Merino stays at Newcastle, but the current mood music suggests he is agitating for an exit.

 

If his release clause is met, United will have to let him depart - but Benitez will then demand an alternative midfielder is signed.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-united-resigned-losing-mikel-14828104

 

Newcastle United resigned to losing Mikel Merino to Real Sociedad ahead of new season

The Magpies have started to plan for life without Mikel Merino after learning player is ready to quit

 

By Lee Ryder

 

Newcastle United are braced to lose the services of Mikel Merino.

 

Rafa Benitez had hoped the Spanish Under-21 international would stay and fight for his place ahead of next season - but the Magpies are now resigned to losing the Pamplona-born player.

 

Real Sociedad are expected to complete a deal worth around £10million due to a clause sewn into the deal signed last year.

 

The La Liga side look to have won the race to sign Merino after agreeing to offer him a five-year contract and beating Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis and Sevilla to his signature.

 

United’s backroom team are not expecting to see Merino back at the club’s Benton base after getting word from Spain that the midfielder is disappointingly prepared to call time on his Toon career after just one season.

 

With no guarantees of playing every week, and on the back of Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame’s sparkling form last season, Merino is ready to look for a new challenge.

 

The situation is far from ideal for Benitez and United with the club’s slow recruitment process causing frustration for supporters with six weeks left of the transfer window.

 

With Benitez hoping to add four or five new faces to his squad for pre-season training the Toon boss now finds himself looking for an extra and rather unexpected further addition.

 

Merino is yet to return from holiday and barring a last minute change of heart his time on Tyneside looks over after just 24 Premier League appearances and one goal.

[Tiresias]

Slightly gutted, really hoped he'd stay and have a stronger second season. If we had a choice in it I'd have expected us to keep him no matter if he wanted away a bit. Partly I fear the general mood that we aren't going to build or be any more ambitious, and Rafa isn't likely to stay long term might have influenced him, but on the other hand if he doesn't have it in him to stay and fight might be for the best. I don't think it reflects too well on his mentality tbh.

[LRD]

Think he would be Real Sociedad's third highest transfer going by his release clause. Be funny if they can't afford the fee.

 

No doubt the talent is there but he does seem weak mentally or Navas-esque homesick. If we are not going to get his best here, might as well replace him with someone who does.

[Papavasiliou]

Would it not be possible to offer him a new contract ourselves and bump up his wages a bit to get rid of the clause?

 

Shame he won't get to another go here as he looked very tidy when he was fully fit. I completely expected him to end up first choice for most of this coming season once it's clear Diame's purple patch has run out.

[Bimpy474]

If he's not willing to fight for his place....bye then. If that's true of course.

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Sick of hearing about this now, either fuck off or stay already.

[Guest neesy111]

Something doesn't seem right about his mental approach imo.

[STM]

Something doesn't seem right about his mental approach imo.

 

Aye you have to question someone who wants out after a year, especially since he had a lengthy injury.

[Interpolic]

The reason we got him from Dortmund is he was sick of sitting on their bench, it's not really a huge surprise that he wants away in that respect.

[Disco]

Have Sociedad come in to some money? Quite a big fee for them and they're in the process of redoing their stadium at the moment n all.

[LRD]

Possibility of Athletic hijacking any bid? They don't have many players they can sign and this is one of them.

[Rich]

Sounds like Mikel needed a bit of a Jamaal intervention.

[Hhtoon]

The reason we got him from Dortmund is he was sick of sitting on their bench, it's not really a huge surprise that he wants away in that respect.

 

Exactly, nothing sinister. If he fails to get a starting place at his next club and wants another move then maybe his mentality can be questioned but no hard feelings towards him.

[HawK]

Possibility of Athletic hijacking any bid? They don't have many players they can sign and this is one of them.

 

They're flush and a bigger club than us, if they wanted him he's off imo. That said their midfield is pretty packed so it's hard to see him being a guaranteed starter - Ituraspe, Rico, Benat, Garcia to name a few .