Newcastle United have made permanent the signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino for £6.5million after an impressive start to life in the Premier League.
Rafa Benitez recommended that the Magpies acted swiftly to tie down the 21-year-old, who has been his side’s best performer so far this season.
Merino joined on a season-long loan in the summer - for a fee of around £2.5m - but Newcastle always had the option to convert the transfer into a permanent deal.
