Marseille is continuing to negotiate a potential deal with Arsenal regarding center forward Eddie Nketiah. The French side officially submitted their second offer for the striker on Tuesday evening. The proposal, however, is not thought to be sufficient to satisfy the Gunners.
Both offers were in the region of $21 million, but The Athletic reports that the latest approach was structured a bit differently. This payment formula seems to be close to what Arsenal wants. Nevertheless, the total amount is still well below the north London outfit’s overall asking price for Nketiah.
Assuming the two sides can ultimately agree on a fee, the forward should move to Marseille quite quickly. Various outlets have claimed that Nketiah has already agreed to a long-term contract proposal from the Ligue 1 team. The striker is also reportedly eager to play for Roberto De Zerbi as well. The Italian manager recently signed on with Marseille after departing Premier League side Brighton in May.
Arsenal’s asking price regarding Nketiah has varied in recent weeks depending on the source. Most agree that the Gunners are hoping to receive around $38 million for the forward though. The fairly large fee is fueled by the fact that Nketiah is a homegrown player and is currently under contract until 2027. As a result, the Gunners are not exactly in a rush to sell the striker.
Arsenal, however, could certainly benefit from upgrading at the position. Nketiah has essentially fallen behind Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus as manager Mikel Arteta’s preferred center forward. The Gunners have an overall solid starting XI, but the number nine role is potentially the team’s lone weak spot. If they can sell Nketiah, Arsenal would almost certainly reinvest in the position.
Nketiah was previously a highly-rated youngster in the team’s youth ranks. There were even suggestions around Arsenal that he could eventually become the club’s star striker. The forward has unfortunately not exactly proven to be a prolific goalscorer. Now 25, he has managed to rack up just 19 goals in 116 total Premier League fixtures.
Many of these appearances have come from the bench though. For instance, Nketiah has featured in 57 total English top-flight games over the last two seasons, but for just 2,143 total minutes. This is essentially the equivalent of 24 90-minute matches. During this timeframe, Nketiah has only scored nine total goals.
Because of these factors, Arsenal are likely going to have to lower their demands to offload the third-choice forward. Marseille’s latest offer is undoubtedly still a bit low, but the two teams may have to meet somewhere in the middle to complete the transfer.
The Gunners are hoping that other clubs soon enter the mix. Fellow Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Wolves have previously shown interest in Nketiah as well. A best-case scenario for Arsenal is if these two teams enter the fray and submit serious offers for the forward. This, however, has not yet occurred and may not happen at all this summer.
Arsenal brass is trying to get the most out of a potential sale. This is a tactic that every team should be doing. Nevertheless, they need to be a bit more realistic regarding Nketiah. A potential fee in the $25 million to $30 million region would seemingly be more appropriate.
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