Barcelona star Dani Olmo has issued a message to Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino after the Gunners' win over Chelsea.
Sunday saw Merino score the winning goal for Arsenal in the 1-0 victory over their Premier League rivals. The Spain international has been utilised as a centre forward by the Gunners in recent weeks amid an injury crisis in Mikel Arteta's squad.
After the game, Merino took to Instagram to send a message to Arsenal fans after scoring the winner against Chelsea. Merino wrote: "London derby," followed by a red emoji, a golf flag emoji and a football emoji, accompanied by a photo of him celebrating in front of the Gunners supporters at the Emirates.
Olmo was one of several players to comment on the post of the Arsenal star, who also happens to be an international teammate of Merino's for Spain. The Barcelona playmaker left a one-word comment on Merino's post, which read: "Aura".
During the January transfer window, Olmo was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, while other clubs including Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City were also credited an interest. Olmo moved to Barca last summer in a deal worth €60million (£50.4million) after the La Liga giants paid the release clause in the forward's contract. The 26-year-old was linked with a move away from Barcelona due to issues concerning his registration with the club.
When Olmo was signed, Barcelona's financial situation meant that the playmaker was only registered until December 31. After that deadline passed, a host of clubs, including Arsenal, were linked with signing Olmo on a free transfer if Barcelona were not able to register their summer signing.
It was confirmed just over a week into the January transfer window that Olmo had been registered by Barcelona in La Liga, putting an end to the speculation that he could sign for the Gunners. Olmo has made 27 appearances for Hansi Flick's team this season, scoring seven goals with five assists.
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