'Already done' - Ex-Arsenal star drops huge hint on Gunners' £17m next summer deal

Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has told Gunners striker Eddie Nketiah to join Ligue 1 side Marseille this summer as the French club looks to secure a deal for the 25-year-old.

Nketiah has been widely speculated to leave N7 this transfer window after struggling to force his way past the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus into the starting line-up. The academy graduate has not started a league match since December and is keen to secure more game time in the upcoming season.

Marseille previously stated they would be willing to pay £17 million for the Gunners star and talks are expected to continue in the coming days. Now, however, TeamTalk has revealed that a new and improved offer of £25m is expected.

As the talks continue, however, former Arsenal icon Aubameyang has dropped a huge hint on how soon we can expect to hear the news of Nketiah’s Emirates departure.

The 35-year-old forward spent the 2023/24 campaign at Marseille, scoring 30 goals across all competitions. While he has since decided to move to the Saudi Pro League, the former Gunners captain has encouraged Nketiah to head to France and in a social media post where someone asked Aubameyang to “tell Nketiah to come to Marseille”, the Gabonese international replied: “Déjà fait” (Already done).

Nketiah still has three years remaining on his current Arsenal contract, having signed a long-term deal in the summer of 2022. He has made over 110 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, scoring 19 goals, and - after becoming England U21s’ record goal scorer - has one senior cap to his name.

However, he has seen his career stall in recent months, falling down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order and joins Emile Smith-Rowe in sourcing a north London departure.

Two days ago, it was reported that Fulham had reached an agreement with the Gunners to sign the 23-year-old midfielder for a club record £27m with the potential for £7m in add-ons. Smith-Rowe, who has three England caps, has been left out of Arsenal’s past two pre-season fixtures as the deal was being completed.