•Charlie Patino
Arsenal have agreed on a deal to sell midfielder Charlie Patino to Deportivo La Coruna in a permanent deal worth around £1million.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Luton back in 2015, spent last season on loan at Swansea in the Championship after a fruitful spell with Blackpool, reports football.london.
The England Under 21 international had returned to Sobha Realty Training Centre for pre-season earlier this summer and played in friendlies against Boreham Wood and Leyton Orient.
However, having entered the final year of his contract and seen first-team opportunities limited, it has been decided that Patino should leave Arsenal.
It is understood that Arsenal are set to sell Patino to La Liga 2 side Deportivo for a fee in the region of £1m.
The Gunners have also negotiated a significant sell-on clause which would see them stand to profit in the future, if Patino is sold at a later date.
Patino played just two first-team matches for the Gunners and scored in their 5-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Sunderland in December 2021. His other appearance came in the FA Cup at Nottingham Forest in January 2022 – a game in which Arsenal lost 1-0.
Arsenal were listening to permanent offers for Patino last summer despite activating a one-year extension option in his contract.
However, sufficient bids never arose and Swansea ended up signing the midfielder on loan.
He made 35 appearances in all competitions for the Swans, scoring three times in 35 matches.
Patino was not part of the Arsenal squad that travelled to the United States for their pre-season tour and his shock move to Spain’s Secunda Division is expected to be confirmed in the next 24 hours.
If the deal is confirmed in time, Patino could make his Deportivo debut against Huesca on Friday.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.
Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay is currently in London to close the transfer, which is expected to cost the Gunners around £30m.
Merino was absent from Sociedad training on Wednesday as he eyes a move to the Emirates.
Merino is expected to be Arsenal’s third major signing of the summer after David Raya made his loan move permanent in a deal worth £27million from Brentford and Riccardo Calafiori joined for £42m from Bologna.
The Gunners began their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Wolves last Saturday.
