Arsenal wantaway star set for £30m switch to PL club as Mikel Arteta trims squad size: Reports
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is reportedly on the brink of joining Crystal Palace this week. The English attacker has been eager to depart the Emirates this summer as he eyes more game time.
GiveMeSport senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs reports that Nketiah is set to join the Eagles in a deal worth £30 million. The two London clubs are finalizing the transfer, and the 25-year-old has agreed personal terms.
Arsenal had demanded a higher fee for Nketiah earlier this summer, but no club was willing to match it. Nottingham Forest and Marseille cooled their interest in the one-cap England international because of the Gunners' initial valuation.
Nketiah is now close to sealing a move to Selhurst Park, where he'll expect more first-team opportunities. He struggled to cement a starting berth at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta, starting 10 of 27 league games with five goals and two assists last season.
Arsenal were expected to sign a new center-forward this summer to help ease the goalscoring burden on Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz. Nketiah's exit will only further fuel talk of the need for a new striker as we head towards deadline day (August 31).
"If he backs himself" - Eddie Nketiah urged to use Dominic Solanke as inspiration amid Arsenal exit
Former Forest winger Paul Anderson gave his take on Nketiah's situation when he was linked with the Tricky Trees. He used new Tottenham Hotspur frontman Dominic Solanke as an example of a player who has left a big club and worked his way back to the elite. He said (via Forest Focus):
"If he (Nketiah) backs himself which I imagine he does, take your £75,000-a-week at Forest, prove everyone wrong and then go and get yourself a move to a top six club like Dominic Solanke has done and get whatever amount of money you can get there. There can be clever ways to make it happen."
Solanke, 26, started his career with Chelsea's youth system before leaving for Liverpool in 2017. He struggled for game time at Anfield and opted to join Bournemouth in January 2019, where he caught the eye with stellar showings.
The English forward bagged 21 goals and four assists in 42 games across competitions for the Cherries last season. He earned himself a £65 million move to Spurs this summer.
Nketiah could go down a similar route after leaving Arsenal for Palace. He could use his spell with the Eagles to play his way into interest from a top-six club.