Newcastle fear that Barça or Real Madrid will sign midfielder Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino wll make it to the big time, according to one of his teammates
Newcastle signed the Spanish midfielder from Borussia Dortmund this summer
Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino has the talent to go on and play for Barcelona or Real Madrid, according to his teammates at Newcastle.
Merino, 21, scored the winning goal for Newcastle at the weekend as they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to extend their unbeaten start to the season.
The Spain U21 international only joined Rafa Benitez's side from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, but goalkeeper Rob Elliot is already tipping him for bigger things.
"I certainly see him in a bracket where clubs like that (Barcelona and Real Madrid) come into it, considering his age,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before the very top clubs come looking at him, but we want to be a top club, too.
“We want him to stay here, we don’t want to see any of our top players up for sale again. That is the mentality now. We bring them through, the manager is here. He’s a fantastic signing from the manager and the scouting department and hopefully we’ll just see him develop as a player and he fulfills all that potential at Newcastle."
Since arriving in England, Merino, once of Osasuna, has drawn comparisons with Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas.
