Eddie Nketiah, who is connected to Crystal Palace, is supposedly someone that Arsenal will demand £30 million for in the January transfer window.
Although Gunners manager Mikel Arteta recently acknowledged that adding a new striker this month “does not look realistic” at this time, the rumours about Nketiah leaving the Emirates Stadium are still rife.
After leaving Chelsea’s youth in 2015, the 24-year-old has played for Arsenal for the past nine years. In 158 appearances across all competitions, he has scored 38 goals and provided nine assists.
But under Arteta, Nketiah has mainly been forced to take a backseat to Gabriel Jesus, starting just 13 of his 27 games this season.
Nketiah’s long-term future at Arsenal is in doubt, as Arteta is reportedly eager to expand his offensive options at some point this year, even though the signing of a new striker is not guaranteed for Arsenal this month.
According to a recent source, Arsenal rejected Crystal Palace’s initial bid for Nketiah because the club is hesitant to let go of the striker in the middle of the campaign.
The Daily Star claims that Nketiah will be free to depart the North Londoners, though, provided they get a £30 million offer.
It is believed that Arsenal will then try to sign a well-known centre forward with the money made from the sale of Nketiah and other possible first-team players.
The Gunners have been heavily connected to a high-profile transfer for Ivan Toney, a striker for Brentford who is also being pursued by Chelsea, their rivals in London.
After an eight-month betting ban, Toney is about to make his football comeback, but he recently hinted that he won’t be leaving the Bees in January.
Victor Osimhen, the star player for Napoli, has also been linked to a transfer to the Premier League, although he just extended his contract with the Serie A team through the summer of 2026. Osimhen is Nigerian.
Three more strikers who are rumoured to be on Arsenal’s radar are Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth, Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig, and others.
Should Nketiah choose to sign with Crystal Palace, who are currently six points above the relegation zone in the Premier League standings and ranked 14th, he would likely enjoy greater certainties than playing for the first squad on a regular basis.
The two primary strikers Roy Hodgson has at his disposal are Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta, but the latter is expected to move on to other pastures in January.
On January 20, Arsenal will meet the Eagles in the Premier League. Nketiah, who is under contract at the Emirates until June 2027, might play against Palace.
