Arsenal are now ready to sanction the departure of striker Eddie Nketiah.
French club Marseille have been heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old striker and have already launched a bid.
Nketiah has dropped down the pecking order at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta favouring Gabriel Jesus ahead of him.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the Gunners are ready to offload Nketiah on loan with the obligation to buy for a fee in the region of £25.6 million.
Personal terms are in place on a five-year deal, and the ball is now in Marseille’s court to get the deal done.
Roberto de Zerbi is pushing for the deal to go through, while Nketiah himself wants to move to the French club.
The French club previously made an offer of around £16.8 million for Nketiah, but Arsenal demanded a fee of over £25 million.
Eddie Nketiah set for Arsenal exit?
The striker signed a five-year contract in 2022, and Arsenal are in strong position to ask for a high transfer fee for their homegrown product.
Several Premier League clubs showed interest in signing Nketiah in previous windows, but it is a surprise that not a single club made an effort to sign him.
This is a very good offer for Marseille. They can sign him on loan now, and pay the extra fee the next summer.
Nketiah is a “top level” striker, no doubt, but he is not the kind of player who can win you league titles. He is, at best, a reliable backup option, and that is not good enough for the Gunners, who finished second in the league last season.
Nketiah featured 37 times for Arsenal last season, scoring six goals, and started only 10 Premier League games. He wants to move elsewhere to play regularly, and Arsenal will hope that a deal can be agreed with Marseille.
