Marseille transfer plan is bad news for Arsenal & Eddie Nketiah

Marseille have seemingly shifted their attentions away from Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah in their hunt for a striker this summer.

The French club boast an interest in the English forward, but their opening proposal worth of £23.1m fell considerably shy of Arsenal's £30m valuation. Marseille are aiming to appease new manager Roberto De Zerbi after losing former Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Iliman Ndiaye earlier in the window.

There have been reports of Borussia Dortmund teenager Youssoufa Moukoko agreeing to join the 1992/93 Champions League victors on loan for the 2024/25 campaign, with Marseille now poised to move for one of Ligue 1's hottest striker properties after talks with Arsenal regarding Nketiah reached an impasse.

Marseille transfer plan is bad news for Arsenal & Eddie Nketiah

Marseille have shifted their attention away from Arsenal's third-choice centre-forward and are moving for Lens' Elye Wahi.

L'Equipe report that Marseille have bid €20m for Wahi having already reached an agreement with the 21-year-old over personal terms. Wahi has been told by Lens that he'll be allowed to leave the club this summer, although a mere €20m fee does seem minute for a player of Wahi's talent.

Mikel Arteta's Gunners learned all about the Frenchman first-hand during the club's two Champions League group-stage duels against Lens. Wahi scored the winner during a 2-1 defeat away from home.

If Marseille complement a loan deal for Moukoko with the arrival of Wahi, they will not be signing Nketiah this summer. Arsenal's valuation is too high for the French club.

And while Arsenal have reportedly said they're content with retaining the English forward this summer, we all know deep down that the club would love to see the back of Nketiah to potentially facilitate another addition or two later on in the window. While he failed to make a single Premier League start during the second half of last season, Nketiah has shown over the past three years that he's worthy of the Gunners' current lofty valuation in an inflated striker market.

However, if he is to leave the club before the window slams shut, it's likely that a suitor will have to appear from the Premier League. Fulham, Wolves, Crystal Palace, and Everton were linked with Nketiah earlier in the window, but their respective priorities have since shifted.

Arsenal are right to stick to their valuation and it'd hardly be a disaster to keep Nketiah on the books for 2024/25, but a sale at the right price could open up a door or two for the Gunners in the transfer market.

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