Arsenal transfer collapses despite player green light, as Fabrizio Romano confirms alternative deal quickly agreed

An Arsenal transfer has been shelved thanks to an eye-watering price tag, though Fabrizio Romano has confirmed an alternative deal has been hastily agreed.

The Gunners have already secured two major signings this summer, with David Raya (option to buy – £27m) signed from Brentford and Riccardo Calafiori (£42m) joining from Bologna.

Real Sociedad and Spain star, Mikel Merino, is next in Mikel Arteta and Edu’s sights. Arsenal have agreed personal terms on a four-year contract with the central midfielder.

A verbal offer has already been tabled and the Gunners are hopeful of securing a deal for well below Merino’s true market value.

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Elsewhere, Arsenal have begun the process of clearing out several fringe players, beginning with Emile Smith Rowe completing his £34m (£27m plus £7m in add-ons) move to Fulham on Friday.

Another homegrown player Arteta is willing to shift is striker Eddie Nketiah. The sales of homegrown players are extra lucrative for clubs given the proceeds are entered as pure profit on the balance sheet.

Marseille – now managed by former Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi – have shown concrete interest in signing Nketiah. That’s despite the French giant already landing Mason Greenwood from Manchester United to bolster their forward line.

In fact, Marseille thundered in with a sizeable €27m/£23m bid for Nketiah late last week. That came after Marseille had forged an agreement on personal terms with the frontman, though their offer was rejected by Arsenal.

Detailing precisely why the offer failed to unlock a move, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed Arsenal value Nketiah in excess of €35m/£30m and are also insisting on a sell-on clause being included.

Upon confirming the bid was rejected, Romano claimed Marseille could begin to explore alternatives amid suggestions they’re unwilling to meet Arsenal’s sky high demands.

Marseille ditch Nketiah; deal agreed with Dortmund striker

A subsequent update revealed Marseille have wasted no time in moving on from Nketiah after striking an agreement on personal terms with wantaway Borussia Dortmund hitman, Youssoufa Moukoko.

Taking to X, the reporter stated: “Youssoufa Moukoko has decided to join Olympique Marseille!

“Despite bids from more than five clubs around Europe, Moukoko wants OM project; personal terms agreed.

“Negotiations underway between OM and BVB on loan deal with buy option clause. Here we go, soon.”

A follow-up revealed a loan with an option to buy is being discussed between Marseille and Dortmund.

Moukoko’s potential move to Marseille would all but end their hopes of signing Nketiah as well. Indeed, reports out of France have already declared Marseille to have aborted their pursuit of the Arsenal man.

As such, the Gunners look to have priced themselves out of a lucrative sale involving a player who rarely features prominently in the plans of Arteta.

Nonetheless, Nketiah is contracted to Arsenal until 2027 and as such, the club are not under any immediate pressure to cash in for what they believe to be a discounted price.

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However, failure to shift players like Nketiah could hamstring their efforts to sign a new striker this summer.

Arsenal have already spent roughly £70m on the signings of Raya and Calafiori and adding Merino to their squad too could take the outlay to the £100m mark.

Without offloading Nketiah or similarly positioned fringe players, the Gunners may find it difficult to finance a move for a truly top tier striker like Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon or Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, for example…

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