Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah will leave the Gunners and join Crystal Palace, according to The Athletic.
The south London club has agreed a deal with Arsenal and the player himself. The Eagles will pay a £25 million fee plus £5 million in potential add-ons.
Nketiah is expected to undergo medicals at Selhurst Park in the coming days. If the medical goes smoothly, he will become Palace’s fourth summer signing, following the arrivals of Chadi Riad, Ismaila Sarr, and Daichi Kamada.
Nketiah has spent his entire career at Arsenal, apart from a loan spell at Leeds United during the 2019/20 season. He has scored 38 goals in 168 appearances for the Gunners.
While Nketiah has been prolific at the youth level, representing England at Under-21 level, he has only earned one cap for the senior national team.
The Hale End academy product failed to take advantage of Gabriel Jesus’ injury problems last season to establish himself as Mikel Arteta’s starting striker. When he got his chances, he didn’t take them. He managed only six goals in the Premier League last term.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are looking to bounce back from a disappointing start to the Premier League season, having lost their first two matches against Brentford and West Ham United.
Adding Nketiah could provide a much-needed boost to their attacking options, although they might need more creativity.
The Eagles missed Michael Olise’s ability to split defences open with his dribbling and playmaking. They reportedly have Lyon wonderkid Rayan Cherki on their radar to fill the creative void, but he is not keen on the move.
Lyon are open to selling at a bargain fee, but the player is holding out for a bigger club. The French side reportedly accepted an offer from Fulham, but the French youth international insisted on a move to Paris Saint-Germain instead.
Palace must turn to other targets before the close of the window this weekend to lift some of the burden off Eberechi Eze’s shoulders.
