Crystal Palace interested in signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah; at least one other Premier League side interested with Bayer Leverkusen also monitoring the situation; Nketiah's contract expires at the end of the season; 22-year-old has scored five goals in six matches this season
Friday 7 January 2022 22:07, UK
Crystal Palace are interested in signing Eddie Nketiah but they face competition for the Arsenal striker from another Premier League side.
Nketiah's Arsenal contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign and he is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club ahead of next season. Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen are monitoring his availability
Arsenal want to keep the 22-year-old striker but their offer of a new contract was rejected by the player.
Speaking on Friday, Mikel Arteta said: "I've already spoken about Eddie, how I feel about him, the intentions of the club. He's with us and every day he shows me that he wants to stay with us."
Nketiah has scored five goals in six matches in all competitions this season, including a hat-trick in Arsenal's 5-1 Carabao Cup win against Sunderland last month.
Menawhile, Gunners right-back Cedric Soares has emerged as a target for Atletico Madrid following the departure of Kieran Trippier to Newcastle.
The Spanish champions are considering a loan move with an obligation to make the deal permanent.
Sky Sports News' Dharmesh Sheth:
Mikel Arteta reiterated his desire to keep Nketiah, but the striker has not signed the latest offer of a new contract. He turned it down and it is looking unlikely he will stay at Arsenal. He only has six months left on his current deal.
The question is when would he leave? Will it be in January or will it be in the summer? He can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club this month. We understand Bayer Leverkusen are interested in trying to do a pre-contract deal.
If Arsenal were to sell him, this would be the last opportunity they would get a transfer fee for him. I'm told Crystal Palace are interested. They were interested in the summer as well.
One unnamed Premier League club are also interested in Nketiah.
Given Nketiah's situation, given the fact Folarin Balogun will be going on loan to Middlesbrough until the end of the season, and also given the cloud that is hanging over the club just now regarding their former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arteta was asked if Arsenal will be going into the market.
Arteta has not ruled that out, so potentially, Arsenal could go into the market to bring someone in in a forward position.
Also, the man they made captain in Aubameyang's absence, Alexandre Lacazette, his contract is up in the summer.
So lots of things up in the air at the moment for Arsenal.
Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles looks set to finalise a loan move to Roma.
Maitland-Niles' personal terms are not expected to be a problem for the Serie A club but any deal would not include an option to buy.
The Arsenal academy graduate, whose contract expires in the summer of 2023, has started just two Premier League games this season but will hope he can kickstart his career under former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho in Italy.
Arsenal will also consider offers for defenders Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers in this January transfer window.
The pair, who have not featured in the Premier League since August, have found playing time limited this season and do not appear to be part of Mikel Arteta's long-term plans.
Arsenal signed Mari permanently from Flamengo for £8m in August 2020 after taking up an option to buy following his £4m loan move in January 2020.
The Spaniard was Arteta's first signing and has two-and-a-half years left on his contract.
Meanwhile, Chambers could be set to end his eight-year spell at the club as he enters the last six months of his deal.
Who will be on the move in January?
The January transfer window opens on Saturday January 1, 2022 and closes at 11pm on Monday January 31.
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