Arsenal stunned as Marseille make Nketiah transfer decision

Suraj Radia

12 Aug 2024 15:30 BST
3 min read

Arsenal’s sale of Eddie Nketiah could be in jeopardy after Marseille edged closer to an agreement to sign an alternative to the England international.

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The Gunners had been in talks over the course of the summer to sell Nketiah to Marseille but the French side refused to meet Arsenal’s €35 million price tag despite the striker agreeing to cut his wages to push a deal through, as FootballTransfers exclusively revealed.

Marseille consequently considered other targets, such as Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko and Lens striker Elye Wahi, leading to Arsenal dropping their demands for Nketiah.

However, despite Arsenal reportedly being willing to accept a loan offer for Nketiah with an obligation to buy for €30m, Marseille were still only looking to spend around €25m.

And the Ligue 1 outfit are now close to agreeing a deal with Lens for Wahi for €25m plus add-ons, having decided against matching Arsenal’s proposal for Nketiah.

Current ETV

Eddie Nketiah

F (CL), AM (L)

Arsenal

Eddie Nketiah

F (CL), AM (L)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€10.8M - €18M

Lens had previously turned down a loan offer with a €26m buyout for Wahi but, according to RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins, both parties are now confident of an agreement, all but ending any hopes for Arsenal and Nketiah.

© IMAGO - Marseille are close to agreeing a deal for Elye Wahi from Lens.

Merino deal should still progress despite Nketiah setback

Arsenal had been hoping to cash in on Nketiah as they look to raise funds to continue their transfer business, with their only incomings this summer being a permanent deal for David Raya and the €45m signing of Riccardo Calafiori.

Mikel Arteta’s side are still in talks to sign Mikel Merino and the player has already agreed to join the Gunners but Real Sociedad have not agreed on a fee as of yet.

It is believed Sociedad are still hoping to convince Merino to stay, having also endured an approach from Liverpool for Martin Zubimendi, with the La Liga side desperate not to lose both of their top midfielders.

For Arsenal, there appears to be no immediate candidates to buy Nketiah despite the reduction of their asking price and it is now increasingly likely the 25-year-old remains at the Emirates this summer.

Nketiah’s future is not thought to have implications on the Merino deal, however Arsenal were still hoping to sign another forward this summer but that pursuit may be put on hold unless the striker or Reiss Nelson are sold.