Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah won’t be joining Marseille after the French side signed another striker instead, in the latest and final development in the Arsenal transfer saga.
Since Marseille new boss Roberto de Zerbi saw Nketiah as an essential addition to his forward options, the two teams have been in talks for a number of weeks. De Zerbi was aiming to make it a hat-trick for his new side, with Nketiah acquisition, having already signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mason Greenwood from the Premier League.
According to French reports, Marseille was able to come to a “personal agreement” with the center-forward. They then started formal transfer negotiations with Mikel Arteta and Arsenals chief Edu.
De Zerbi’s side was quickly turned off by Arsenal’s demands for £40 million. However, it wasn’t long until Edu reduced Nketiah’s asking price, giving the potential move new life.
Nketiah to Marseille transfer off
TEAMtalk disclosed on Friday that the players’ agents had travelled to France in an attempt to facilitate the conclusion of the trade.
But after suffering a blow, Nketiah will not be travelling to Marseille this summer. Marseille has focused on Elye Wahi and has moved rapidly to close a deal for the Lens ace, according to reliable French reporter Fabrice Hawkins.
Wahi will cost Marseille an initial €25 million (£21.3 million) in addition to an additional €5 million (£4.3 million) in possible bonuses.
According to Hawkins, Nketiah’s chances of joining the Ligue 1 team would be dashed by Wahi’s arrival at Marseille, which is anticipated to be confirmed in the next few days.
Arsenal would also be disappointed by Wahi’s deal because they were hoping to get rid of Nketiah in order to free up more money for transfers.
As Nketiah is an Arsenal academy graduate, his sale would have been recorded on the team’s books as pure profit, similar to the initial £27 million earned upon Emile Smith Rowe’s move to Fulham.
That being said, Nketiah should soon be cleared from Arsenal’s squad. Not only does he have a respectable record in front of goal, but at 25 years old, he still has his finest years ahead of him.
A number of clubs are expected to get in touch with the Gunners for the Englishman in the upcoming weeks as a result of these factors. A few Premier League teams that have previously been connected to him are Crystal Palace, Everton, and West Ham United.
Arsenal had hoped to pay for their bid on Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino with the money made by Nketiah’s departure. However, Nketiah will now remain at the Emirates for a short while longer as Sociedad works to stop Merino from leaving.
