The potential transfer of Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah to Marseille has fallen through after the French club opted to sign a different striker, Elye Wahi from Lens.
Marseille had been keen on signing Nketiah for several weeks, with their new manager Roberto De Zerbi identifying him as a key target to strengthen their attacking options.
Despite reaching an agreement on personal terms with Nketiah and entering official transfer negotiations with Arsenal, the deal stalled when Marseille hesitated at Arsenal’s initial £40 million asking price.
Although Arsenal reduced the price, Marseille shifted their focus to Wahi and agreed to pay Lens an initial €25 million (£21.3 million) with an additional €5 million (£4.3 million) in potential bonuses.
Wahi’s impending arrival at Marseille ends Nketiah’s chances of joining the Ligue 1 side and represents a setback for Arsenal, who had hoped to sell Nketiah to generate additional transfer funds.
Nketiah, an Arsenal academy graduate, would have represented pure profit on the club’s books.
However, Arsenal may still find a buyer for Nketiah in the near future.
At 25 years old, with his best years ahead of him and a respectable goal-scoring record, he remains an attractive prospect for several clubs.
Premier League teams like Crystal Palace, Everton, and West Ham United have previously shown interest in him.
The collapse of the Nketiah transfer also affects Arsenal’s plans to finance their pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.
With Nketiah staying at the Emirates for now and Sociedad resisting Merino’s departure, those plans will need to be reconsidered.
The transfer saga involving Eddie Nketiah and Marseille has come to an end after the French club opted to sign Elye Wahi instead.
This development represents a setback for Arsenal, who had hoped to sell Nketiah to generate transfer funds.
However, Nketiah remains an attractive prospect for several clubs, and Arsenal may still find a buyer for him in the near future.
