Arsenal reject Prem rivals’ move for 38-goal attacker, as Edu wields strong ‘not for sale’ stance

Crystal Palace have had an approach for an Arsenal academy graduate rejected by Gunners sporting director Edu, according to a report.

Both London clubs are busy preparing for the January transfer window, as they look to bring in some quality additions and also offload some of the unwanted players in their respective squads. Arsenal will try to sign players who can aid their Premier League title challenge, as they currently sit in second place, while Palace need more firepower to push them away from the relegation zone. Indeed, the Eagles have fallen down to 15th place after scoring just 19 goals in the same amount of games.

Arsenal centre-forward Eddie Nketiah is a long-term target of Palace’s, and it seems they have once again taken steps to try and sign him. According to talkSPORT, Roy Hodgson’s side have made a ‘transfer enquiry’ to see if Arsenal will be open to letting the 24-year-old go in January.

Palace scouts believe Nketiah has the experience and keen eye for goal needed to improve their team’s threat and help push them towards a top-10 finish.

But it does not look like Nketiah will be heading to Selhurst Park any time soon, as Arsenal have ‘rejected’ the approach. Edu has told his Palace counterparts that the London-born ace is ‘not for sale’.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be delighted with this stance. He will want to keep as many players as possible in order to maintain strong squad depth, and in turn fight on multiple fronts. Not only are Arsenal in the mix for the title, but they are also hoping to go far in both the FA Cup and Champions League.

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There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Nketiah’s future amid Arsenal’s push to land Ivan Toney from Brentford.

Former Aston Villa star Gabby Agbonlahor recently suggested that Arsenal offload both Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe to help them match Toney’s £80million price tag.

Eddie Nketiah set to stay at Arsenal

But it seems the former will be remaining at the Emirates whether Toney arrives or not.

Nketiah, who has bagged 38 goals in 156 games for Arsenal, is currently behind Gabriel Jesus in the striker pecking order.

Nketiah has still made 25 appearances across all competitions this season, though he has not managed more than half an hour in a league game since the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on November 4 – when Jesus was recovering from a hamstring issue.

The Brazilian is great at holding up the ball and linking up play with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard. However, several pundits have expressed their concern that Jesus is not a devastating goalscorer like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. This is why the North London outfit have put themselves firmly in the mix for Toney’s signing.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly sensed a ‘golden opportunity’ to win the race for a Barcelona man next year.