Sources: Arsenal set to reject Eddie Nketiah bid as striker’s stance on next move becomes clear

Marseille have returned with another bid for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah but it is set to be rejected and TEAMtalk understands that he would prefer to remain in London.

In an effort to provide Roberto De Zerbi the resources he needs to stage a comeback, Marseille have begun restructuring their team.

With the addition of Mason Greenwood from Manchester United and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Tottenham Hotspur, OM has already acquired Premier League expertise.

OM now set their sights on capturing Nketiah but they still have some way to go to clinch the transfer from Arsenal.

Marseille are likely to see their improved bid rejected by Arsenal despite the Ligue 1 club making strides towards offering an improved structured deal, even if that only involved a small bump in the fee.

Reports coming out of France suggest that Nketiah has already agreed to personal terms with Marseille but with their offer still down around the €20m mark, Arsenal have so far refused to sanction any move.

The 25-year-old is reportedly prepared to join head coach De Zerbi’s squad and has already committed to a five-year contract with Marseille should they reach an agreement.

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Eddie Nketiah wants to stay at Arsenal

Nketiah was on the verge of becoming a free agent when he inked a “long-term” deal with Arsenal in June 2022.

Despite reportedly agreeing personal terms with Marseille, sources have informed TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that Nketiah still hopes for an Arsenal stay.

Crystal Palace have shown an interest in Nketiah and therefore that could be a preferable move for him should the Eagles come forward with an offer.

He made 37 appearances for Arsenal in the previous campaign, tallying six goals.

However, he only made 10 starts in the Premier League and did not get off the bench in Arsenal’s last six league games as they challenged Manchester City for the championship.

In October of last year, Nketiah earned his senior England debut as a substitute in a friendly match against Australia. He hasn’t played in a competitive match for England yet, thus he can still represent Ghana for whom he is also eligible.

Nketiah continues to feature for Arsenal in pre-season fixtures and has turned out for 82 minutes across two friendlies so far.

“Pre-season is really good for a lot of the lads who haven’t trained or played with us that much to show what they can do,” he told the Arsenal website.

“It’s a platform, even for us now, to make our mark and start playing games regularly and get fit. I think there are a lot of examples of players who did well in pre-season and gone on to play and have minutes in the first team, so it’s a really good chance.”

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