The seven clubs chasing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and their likelihood of signing him

Eddie Nketiah faces an uncertain future at Arsenal after attracting interest from a significant amount of other sides in the Premier League and appearing as the likely casualty of their plans to invest in a new centre-forward.

Arsenal had another magnificent season under manager Mikel Arteta as they were pipped to the title by Pep Guardiola’s Man City, ultimately finishing in second place for the second consecutive season.

The Gunners amassed a total of 89 points across the season and were just two shy of City’s total of 91 and this total would have been enough to see Arsenal crowned as champions the prior season.

Arsenal’s finishing position in the table is made all the more impressive when you consider the fact they have played the vast majority of the season without a recognised centre-forward, with Kai Havertz deputising up top more often than not.

Following the sale of Folarin Balogun to Monaco in the summer, this left Arsenal with Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah as the club’s two main strikers.

With Jesus struggling with injuries, Nketiah seen as more of an impact sub and the links to Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and other strikers swirling around, it seems as though one of the two will be off this summer, with the Englishman seeming most likely.

Nketiah scored five goals and assisted twice for the Gunners last season and only started 26% of minutes available to him.

Arsenal have slapped a £50million price tag on Nketiah and with several clubs said to be interested in their academy product, here is where he may end up and whether or not he will suit these said clubs:

Crystal Palace

Under previous manager Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace were one of the lowest-scoring teams in the Premier League and neither Jean-Philippe Mateta, Odsonne Edouard or Jordan Ayew could consistently find the back of the net.

This left The Eagles sitting in 16th place in the league and in search of a new manager to keep the club afloat, when in stepped former Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner.

The Austrian transformed the South London club’s fortunes and in particular the aforementioned Mateta, who managed to score 13 times in 13 games in the second half of the season, having only previously scored three goals all season under Hodgson.

The Frenchman’s form in front of goal may have changed Palace’s summer transfer plans as goals now no longer seem an issue, though if Mateta gets injured, questions of whether Edouard or Ayew can replicate the 27-year-old’s form will be raised.

The £50million price tag that Arsenal have set on Nketiah seems a steep one but with Michael Olise’s imminent £45million move to Bayern, Palace will certainly have money to spend.

Whether or not The Eagles are willing to spend that much on Nketiah remains to be seen, though if Mateta departs as links to PSG have been reported, then don’t be surprised to see Nketiah playing regularly at Selhurst Park next season.

Indeed, TEAMtalk sources state Palace think they have an advantage due to their location in London.

Fulham

Fulham endured another solid season under Portuguese manager Marco Silva, finishing the campaign in 13th place, 21 points above the relegation zone and never looked likely to be drawn into a relegation battle.

Despite their comfortable finish, no player managed to register double digits in the league with Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz being the club’s top scorer with nine goals, followed by Raul Jimenez with seven and Bobby Reid with six.

Armando Broja’s loan switch to Craven Cottage in January from Chelsea only produced one assist and no goals in eight league appearances as the Albanian failed to provide the clinical edge in front of goal that Fulham required.

Jay Stansfield scored 12 times on loan at Birmingham City last season as the Blues were relegated to League One and Marco Silva has already confirmed his place in the squad ahead of next season.

Though the burden of scoring the bulk of Fulham’s goals may be too much too soon for the 21-year-old, so delving into the market may be the West London club’s best bet of guaranteed goals for next campaign.

The £25million acquisition of Jean Michael Seri in 2018 remains the club’s record signing, so it would seem unlikely that Fulham would be willing to double their previous transfer record.

If The Cottagers are to get the 25-year-old, Arsenal will likely have to reduce their asking price, or at least accept an initial lower fee with future incentives.

However, TEAMtalk understands that – as things stand – Fulham are leading the race for Nketiah and preparing an official offer.

Brentford

The imminent departure of Ivan Toney from Brentford will see The Bees net a substantial profit on the Englishman who they purchased from League One side Peterborough for £5million back in 2018.

The London-based outfit will likely receive a fee of around £60million for their striker, with Spurs, Manchester United and Arsenal all rumoured to be monitoring the 28-year-old Englishman’s situation.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa started a vast number of games up top together last campaign as Toney was banned from playing in the first half of the season, but neither are natural strikers.

Neal Maupay’s loan from Everton produced six goals and three assists in 29 Premier League games also, but the club have confirmed that he will be returning to Merseyside following the expiration of his loan.

In January, Brentford confirmed that they had smashed their record-signing by confirming the capture of Brazilian forward Igor Thiago for £27.9million from Belgian side Club Brugge, who will join the club this upcoming campaign.

This means that Brentford are unlikely to pursue any deal for Nketiah if the price tag stays as steep as it currently is. If Nketiah is to swap north London to west London next season, then that £50million price tag will more than likely have to be substantially lowered.

Wolves

Under former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil, Wolves stayed well clear of any relegation threats, finishing the campaign in 14th place, 20 points clear of the relegation zone.

The goals of Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha proved to be pivotal in the midlands club’s survival bid, each scoring 12 goals in the league.

Though Hwang and Cunha are the club’s only two players over the age of 20 who can play as a striker, with academy products Nathan Fraser and Leon Chiwome having to deputise up top in the South Korean and Brazilian’s absence.

This will almost certainly mean Wolves will venture into the transfer market in search of another striking option and Nketiah could be a potential option.

The club has not been previously reluctant to spend big on strikers in the past, with Cunha, Fabio Silva and Raul Jimenez all costing the club north of £30million and joining in the past five years, so a deal upwards of £50million for Nketiah shouldn’t be ruled out.

On Thursday it was reported that Wolves were pursuing a deal of around £30million for Celta Vigo forward Jorgen Strand Larsen with negotiations moving fast, meaning a move for Nketiah would surely be off if a deal was to be completed for the Norwegian.

Furthermore, TEAMtalk has learned that Nketiah’s preference would be to remain in London even if he leaves Arsenal.

West Ham

Julen Lopetegui has returned to the Premier League after mutually leaving Wolves just days before the start of last campaign.

The Spaniard is already looking to make additions to the squad with the reported interest of Wolves captain Max Kilman, who he is a fan of and had previously managed.

Up top both Michael Antonio and Danny Ings shared a bulk of the minutes in the league last campaign, though with the forwards now 34 and 31 respectively and having scored seven goals in the league between them, it may be time to think of replacing them.

Academy graduate Divin Mubama also deputised up top on occasion, whilst Jarrod Bowen also filled the striker vacancy whenever Antonio and Ings were unavailable.

Gianluca Scamacca would only last a season at the London Stadium before returning to his native Italy with Atalanta at the end of last season, where he helped win the club’s first-ever European title defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final in Dublin.

Another striker is almost certainly on the cards for The Hammers this summer and Nketiah’s availability will likely come under some serious consideration, though the £50million price tag may cause a stumbling block.

The East London side has only ever once spent over £25million on a striker and incidentally is their record signing when they splashed £42.2million on Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.

Whether The Hammers will be willing to spend that much on a striker again remains to be seen, but Nketiah will certainly be on the club’s radar.

Leicester City

Newly promoted Leicester City have already undergone one major change at the club this summer with manager Enzo Maresca departing the club for Chelsea and being replaced by former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.

Whilst the Foxes have acted quickly to replace the Italian, his departure will no doubt have come as a big blow for the club, who he helped romp to the Championship title at the first attempt, even if Ipswich and Leeds did run them close towards the end.

This appointment will have no doubt have changed transfer plans, especially considering the different styles of play and tactics that either manager adopts.

Cult hero Jamie Vardy has extended his stay at the King Power for another year but the 37-year-old is not expected to start each game, whilst Kelechi Iheanacho has left the club following the expiration of his contract.

This leaves Patson Daka and Tom Cannon as the club’s only other two striking options, but both played in less than half of Leicester’s league games last campaign, so it would seem unlikely that either will lead the line on a regular basis in the Premier League.

Leicester will therefore surely be in the market for another centre forward this summer and Eddie Nketiah will almost certainly be a name on their shortlist.

But like the other mentioned clubs, the £50million price tag that Arsenal have put on him may be too much for The Foxes to pay and will likely need to be reduced if they are to consider a deal.

Ipswich Town

Fellow newcomers to the Premier League, Ipswich Town are preparing for a first top-flight campaign in over two decades.

Their top scorers in their promotion-winning season were Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin with 13 goals each. However, they have one Premier League appearance between them, with Broadhead previously making his debut for Everton.

Besides, both of them are attacking midfielders or wingers, so Kieran McKenna could be looking for a top centre-forward to boost Ipswich’s chances of avoiding relegation.

TEAMtalk revealed in May that the Tractor Boys have made Nketiah one of their ambitious targets for the summer window.

If Arsenal stick to their £50m asking price, though, ambitious would definitely be the word for Ipswich. Their current record signing cost around 10 times less than that.