After Marseille chose to sign a different striker, Eddie Nketiah’s possible move to Marseille has fallen through, ending the ongoing transfer saga involving the Arsenal forward.
Nketiah had been the subject of intense speculation surrounding Marseille for a number of weeks, as their new manager Roberto De Zerbi saw him as a vital target to bolster their attacking options. After acquiring Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mason Greenwood from the Premier League, De Zerbi was keen to finalize a third signing with Nketiah.
According to French reports, Marseille and Nketiah had come to a personal agreement, and official transfer talks had begun with Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu. But when Marseille objected to Arsenal’s first demand of £40 million for the striker, the deal faced difficulties. Though eventually Edu lowered the asking price, raising hopes of a transfer, things took an unanticipated turn.
Reputable French journalist Fabrice Hawkins claims that Marseille turned their attention to Lens forward Elye Wahi and moved swiftly to complete his transfer. Lens will receive an initial payment of €25 million (£21.3 million) from the French club, with the possibility of further bonuses of up to €5 million (£4.3 million). Nketiah’s prospects of signing with the Ligue 1 team are virtually gone due to Wahi’s imminent arrival at Marseille, which is anticipated to be announced in the next few days.
Arsenal has also suffered because they were expecting to sell Nketiah in order to raise more transfer money. Nketiah, an academy graduate of Arsenal, would have brought in a tidy profit to the club’s books, much like the £27 million that Emile Smith Rowe’s recent Fulham transfer brought in.
Arsenal might still be able to find a home for Nketiah soon in spite of this. With his best years still ahead of him and a solid goal scoring record, he is still a desirable prospect for a number of teams at the age of 25. He has previously piqued the interest of Premier League teams like West Ham United, Everton, and Crystal Palace.
The money from Nketiah’s sale was supposed to be used by Arsenal to support their pursuit of Mikel Merino, a midfielder for Real Sociedad. However, those plans will need to be reevaluated because Nketiah is currently staying at the Emirates and Sociedad is opposing Merino’s departure.
