Romano announces transfer agreement that changes everything for Arsenal

Robin Bairner

• 3 Aug 2024 13:10 BST
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has revealed an agreement that promises to have significant repercussions for Arsenal in the rest of the transfer window.

Romano has stated that Marseille are closing in on an agreement to sign Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund.

In turn, this throws into question OM’s desire to sign Eddie Nketiah, who had been coveted by the Stade Velodrome side. This promises to have far-reaching repercussions at the Emirates Stadium.

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Compared

Eddie Nketiah

F (CL), AM (L)

Arsenal

Eddie Nketiah

F (CL), AM (L)

Arsenal

VS

Youssoufa Moukoko

F (C)

Dortmund

Youssoufa Moukoko

F (C)

Dortmund

€14.3M	ETV	€17.9M
€10.7M - €17.9M	ETV Range	€13.4M - €22.3M
25 years old (30 May, 1999)	Age	19 years old (20 Nov, 2004)
England	Nationality	Germany

Romano has announced: “Youssoufa Moukoko has decided to join Olympique Marseille!

“Despite bids from more than five clubs around Europe, Moukoko wants the OM project; personal terms agreed.

“Negotiations underway between OM and BVB on loan deal with buy option clause.

“Here we go, soon.”

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What this means for Arsenal

Arsenal had been hoping to land a significant transfer fee for Nketiah, a deal that might have fuelled the potential arrival of one or more players.

The England international has effectively dropped down to third-choice centre-forward at the Emirates behind Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, yet the Gunners were still demanding a price in the region of €35 million (£30m).

Nketiah could still depart, with Mikel Arteta eyeing Brighton striker Joao Pedro as a potential replacement for his role.

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With Moukoko, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €17.9m, going to Marseille, that deal is naturally on hold.

Arsenal, meanwhile, continue to explore possibilities to sign another centre-forward, with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres among the options still being considered.

The emergence of Julian Alvarez on the transfer market has sparked rumours that he might yet be of interest to the Gunners, but with a price tag approaching €95 million (£80m), such a deal would represent a huge investment for the Emirates outfit.

For such a deal to be struck, it would be logical for one of Arsenal’s existing strikers to be moved on, with Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah the likeliest candidates.