Revealed: Bilbao to swoop for Newcastle midfielder
- Jordan Russell (@JordRuss96)
Merino, who only joined NUFC on a permanent deal in October after signing an initial season-long loan from Borussia Dortmund, has found it tough to settle in the North East.
The 21-year-old has been unable to become a regular in Rafael Benítez’s starting XI and, according to TEAMtalk, he has informed the Spanish manager of his desire to leave the club.
Indeed, Bilbao have expressed an interest in signing him while the player is said to be keen to move back to his native Basque Country.
It does of course remain to be seen what The Magpies’ asking price will be after paying €7 million to bring him to Tyneside from BVB last Autumn.
Curiously, he was one of Benítez’s most important players earlier in the season but has since proved to be a disappointment in the subsequent weeks and months.