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.
Striker has not yet shown to be overly productive goalscorer
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…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-have-to-lower-demands-in-order-to-sell-nketiah/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-07-31 20:00:03
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.