HERE WE GO: Arsenal’s hopes of gaining a cash boost from Eddie Nketiah’s transfer have been dealt a double setback.
Arsenal’s hopes of increasing their transfer funds by selling Eddie Nketiah to Marseille have faced a double setback.
The Gunners’ summer spending is expected to reach £100 million once the deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino is finalized. Mikel Arteta has identified the Spanish international as the ideal candidate to strengthen his midfield, and a £25 million fee is close to being agreed upon with Real Sociedad.
Arsenal has already spent £27 million on goalkeeper David Raya and an additional £42 million on Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. Arteta is also keen to add a center forward to the squad, as Arsenal currently relies on Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Selling Nketiah would provide much-needed funds to help bid for either Victor Osimhen of Napoli or Viktor Gyökeres of Sporting Lisbon. Marseille has been negotiating with Arsenal for almost a month over a move for Nketiah, but talks have reached a stalemate.
Arsenal is holding out for an offer of at least €35 million plus a sell-on clause. Marseille’s latest offer, submitted on Friday, was at least €8 million short of Arsenal’s valuation of the England international.
Hopes of reaching an agreement were further dashed on Saturday when it was revealed that Marseille was closing in on a loan deal for Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund. Several clubs across Europe had shown interest in the teenage forward, but Marseille, who signed Mason Greenwood from Manchester United last month, have won the race.