Exclusive: Nottingham Forest prepare mammoth offer for Arsenal star who’s been left in limbo

Nottingham Forest are looking to sign a new striker before the transfer window closes and Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah is at the top of their shortlist, TEAMtalk can confirm.

Sources have informed our transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that the Tricky Trees’ hunt for a new centre-forward has been a ‘stressful operation.’

They have already seen an approach for Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez turned down and are now putting their full attention on Nketiah and hope to land the Arsenal man.

The 25-year-old does not want to lose out on the £120,000 per week wage he earns with the Gunners but TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that Forest are willing to offer him huge wages to secure his signature.

We understand that Forest are willing to almost match Nketiah’s current salary and therefore, he could become the club’s new highest earner.

Whether or not that will be enough to tempt the once-capped England international remains to be seen, however, as TEAMtalk sources say Nketiah was ‘gutted’ that a move to French giants Marseille broke down earlier this month.

Marseille were not willing to meet Arsenal’s demands despite Nketiah agreeing to the move. He was keen to link up with some of their new signings and play under Roberto De Zerbi.

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Arsenal take firm stance on Eddie Nketiah

Marseille’s failure to agree a fee with Arsenal for Nketiah has left the striker in limbo, but some sources suggest that De Zerbi’s side could come back in for him before the transfer window slams shut.

The French club will have to move quickly to bring Nketiah in as Forest are preparing to launch another bid for him after seeing an offer of £25m rejected by Arsenal.

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Marseille will also now have to match Forest’s lucrative contract offer and a £120,000 per week wage would make him the club’s top earner.

Arsenal have made it clear to all of Nketiah’s suitors that they want £30m for Nketiah. Mikel Arteta’s side were not happy with the structure of Forest’s £25m bid and want to bring in as much as possible for the forward.

As previously revealed, Everton are also big admirers of Nketiah but as things stand, £30m is out of their price range and they are prioritising a loan move for Chelsea star Armando Broja instead.

Nketiah broke into the Arsenal first team in 2017 and has made 168 appearances for the London club, scoring 38 goals in the process.

However, he has fallen down the pecking order in recent seasons, hence why the Gunners are willing to part ways with him before the end of the month.