Marseille are reportedly working on signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah on loan this summer, with the obligation to make the move permanent at the end of it.
Nketiah has struggled for playing time at the Emirates Stadium in recent times, so it perhaps makes sense that his future with the Gunners is now in serious doubt.
According to the Daily Mirror, it could be that Marseille will be his next destination, as the Ligue 1 giants look for a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a partner for new signing Mason Greenwood.
Even if Nketiah has not quite made it at Arsenal, he’s shown some potential at times and could be someone who’d have a positive impact for a number of other big clubs in England or elsewhere around Europe.
Nketiah transfer: Opportunity for Arsenal to make pure profit
Selling an academy player like Nketiah will surely be very tempting for Arsenal, as the 25-year-old is homegrown, so cost them nothing to sign, meaning his sale can be put down as pure profit from a Financial Fair Play point of view.
Some Arsenal fans might well think it’s worth keeping Nketiah as a squad player as Mikel Arteta could find himself short of depth without him, though that might be a risk worth taking.
If AFC can cash in on Nketiah then they would have a decent amount of freedom to go and spend on a replacement, so it will be interesting to see how this saga pans out, with a loan move perhaps not the best option for the north London giants.
Of Arsenal settle for a “loan with an obligation to buy” this would effectively negate his use as far as FFP is concerned as the rules change next Season.For Arsenal to make full use of the current amortisation loophole they must sell Neketiah,Nelson and ESR this Season if they are going to do so…Edu really needs to get his finger out.Arsenal are heading off on a pre-season tour without any of the replacements that the squad needs if they are to build upon the last two Seasons.A central midfielder,winger and CF being added ASAP are crucial if they are not to head into the coming Season severely undercooked.Especially given the late starts of Saka,Rice,Gabriel,Saliba,Trossard and Martinelli.Our first month of fixtures will be testing and if we’re not careful we will allow rival teams to get a March on us before the first international break…
I am sure their will be better deals on the table for Nketiah with the asking price of £40m being paid by way of a swap deal.