Arsenal midfielder Guendouzi close to joining new club
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 23 Jun 2021 13:42 CDT
Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is on the cusp of a transfer back to France with Marseille, according to reports from France.
After initially impressing with the Gunners in his first year or so at the club after signing from Lorient, Guendouzi finally fell out of favour with head coach Mikel Arteta, with accusations aimed at his alleged unprofessional attitude.
After no guarantees of first-team football at the Emirates in 2020/21, he was sent out on loan to Hertha Berlin, where he made 24 appearances in the Bundesliga
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The German outfit have made no concrete attempts to make the move permanent which has opened up the door for other suitors.
According to La Provence, Marseille have made Guendouzi a priority signing and report that a deal could be done as early as next week to bring the Frenchman back to his homeland from Arsenal.
The North London side are allegedly holding out for €20 million for Guendouzi as they would prefer he left on a permanent transfer, but Marseille are holding out for an initial loan deal with the obligation to buy a year from now.
Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs.
Borussia Dortmund and Benfica were previously interested, too, according to the report.
It’s like puberty for him, he’s kind of a rebel. He has to work and learn like an animal - Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai
- Guendouzi's Arsenal troubles
It certainly appears that Guendouzi has burned his bridges with Arsenal following his acrimonious departure from the club last summer.
In a match against Brighton, he was accused of disparagingly speaking to opposition players about their lower wages.
Although he has previously suggested he could return to the Emirates, Arsenal have prioritised the acquisition of another central midfielder in the transfer window which would send him further down the pecking order.
At the moment, the Gunners have Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny within their midfield ranks so one or more of them would need to move on to make room for Guendouzi if a new star is signed.
The loan deals of Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard are unlikely to be made permanent.
Xhaka has been linked with a move to Roma and always seems to be a mistake away from losing his status as a first-team player.
