Arsenal are in the market for a new No. 9 for the 2024/25 season, as they want to obtain every advantage they can get to finally conquer Manchester City in the Premier League title race after falling agonizingly close to title triumph in two straight seasons.
Kai Havertz was brilliant down the stretch of the 2023/24 season, usurping former Man City star Gabriel Jesus as the first-choice man in the middle, but he isn’t a true No. 9 in profile and, as we saw this summer at Euro 2024, too inconsistent to be the best possible option.
Arsenal are focusing on selling Eddie Nketiah
In order for Arsenal to make an attacking splash, which could even include another top winger, the Gunners are going to have to make a sale. And the main forward they want to sell is backup striker Eddie Nketiah.
According to a report from Canal Plus, Arsenal asked Marseille 30 million euros for Nketiah, but OM balked at that price, too. Now, a deal could potentially happen at 25 million euros with a sell-on clause. Marseille’s last bid was reportedly for just 20 million euros.
That all sounds terrible for Arsenal. Nketiah is reportedly pushing to make this move happen, but Arsenal hold all the cards here. Plus, with all due respect to Marseille and their history, no club in Ligue 1 should be seen as a destination spot at this point.
Marseille are lowballing Arsenal badly. They want to pay 20 million euros for a 25-year-old striker entering his prime from a massive club like Arsenal, who just sold Emile Smith-Rowe – an attacking midfielder with less track record than Nketiah – to Fulham for 35 million pounds.
Marseille aren’t being serious
If Marseille don’t have the money to play the transfer game, then they shouldn’t try to negotiate with an actual title contender in the Premier League like Arsenal. That may sound harsh, but these negotiations are a waste of Arsenal’s time.
Reportedly, Arsenal could be open to selling for 25 million euros with a sell-on clause, but that’s not much better either. Nketiah is 25 and most players sign a standard four-year contract.
Think about that. When Nketiah’s contract ends, he’ll be 29 and then 28 in the final year of his deal when he would likely be sold. Teams are either not going to pay for a 28-year-old striker on an expiring contract, or they are going to wait to sign him for free.
The sell-on clause will likely literally be worthless, or it would be worth 20 percent of 10-20 million euros. That’s nothing. Arsenal are better off not even entertaining a sell-on clause while wondering, in the back of their minds, if Marseille think they are that clueless as to fall for this ploy.
Arsenal need to be strong in negotiating for an Nketiah transfer. The minute other clubs sense a weakness in how they are operating, they will pounce when negotiating, too. Sure, 50 million euros was an asking price too rich, but less than 30 million euros would be a much bigger mistake by the Gunners.