Arsenal are busy in the transfer market, firming up their squad ahead of the season's start
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is about to make a major sale, as the Gunners look to improve their squad.
Arteta has focused more on outgoings this summer, with Emile Smith Rowe the headline exit from N5, as Arsenal trim their side ahead of acquisitions. The north Londoners have struggled to sell in recent seasons, with their record sale remaining Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for around £35 million to Liverpool, back in 2017.
But with Arteta wanting to bring in new signings, exits are a necessity, as the club looks to reduce the wage bill.
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The Athletic's David Ornstein now writes that Arsenal have put together a new package for Marseille to mull over over Eddie Nketiah leaving.
The centre-forward has found playing time increasingly difficult to come by at Arsenal, starting just ten Premier League games this season - the last of which was on New Year's Eve - and sitting on the bench for the last six games of the campaign. That has led the club to look for a new home for the 25-year-old, with Roberto de Zerbi's Marseille expressing an interest and agreeing personal terms with Nketiah but yet to meet Arsenal's asking price.
The Ligue 1 side's most recent offer last month was reportedly in the region of €20m (£16.8m), which was closer to what Arsenal wanted but still not enough to give the deal the green light. Arsenal have now proposed a season-long loan with an obligation to buy Nketiah next summer for a €30m (£25.2m) permanent transfer fee, and are awaiting Marseille's reply.
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New Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi is keen to bring in Eddie Nketiah (Image credit: Getty Images)
Nketiah is a graduate of Arsenal's academy and reached double figures of goals in all competitions in 2021/22, but has never quite been able to make the number 9 role his own.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were both preferred as Mikel Arteta's centre-forward as Arsenal mounted an ultimately unsuccessful challenge on the Premier League title. The Gunners pushed Manchester City all the way to the final day of the season, but victories for both sides meant Arsenal finished two points shy of first place.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
