Arsenal 'expected to accept' £30m bid for England international

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Deals for the England international broke down within both the Premier League and Ligue 1 ahead of Crystal Palace negotiations

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is closing in on the final stages of signing with Crystal Palace with the 25-year-old’s current club expected to accept Palace’s bid of £25 million plus £5m in add-ons.

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According to The Athletic, neither party is anticipating any issue on personal terms as Nketiah prepares to head south of the Thames for the ongoing 2024/25 campaign. It was reported on Sunday that Palace had been considering a move for the striker, having already spoken to the Gunners about a potential bid for the ex-Leeds loanee earlier this summer.

Nketiah has been on the verge of an Emirates departure all summer with Marseille the imagined destination earlier this summer. However, the Ligue 1 side were not prepared to offer the required funds Arsenal desired and as such talks broke down. Talks then broke down once again between the north London club and Nottingham Forest with the forward ultimately deciding against making the move, despite both Premier League clubs settling on a fee worth up to £30m.

The striker has fallen significantly down the Arsenal pecking order in recent campaigns and is yet to make a competitive appearance this season despite featuring in pre-season training. He has been an unused substitute in both the Gunners’ opening Premier League fixtures.

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The Arsenal academy graduate tied down a new contract with the club in June 2022 with the deal running until 2027 but it remains apparent that - despite the injury to fellow forward Gabriel Jesus - his game time will continue to be heavily restricted if he remains in N7.

Palace have just two senior strikers in place at Selhurst Park, after Jordan Ayew’s departure to Leicester City this transfer window, and the club’s head coach Oliver Glasner has previously spoken of his desire to bring in reinforcements for Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline day.

While Mateta enjoyed a particularly impressive 2023/24 campaign, scoring 19 goals in 39 appearances, recent reports from The Mail indicate that Palace could help fund their purchase of Nketiah by selling Edouard with the Frenchman’s former club Celtic said to be interested.

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Reports from Newsstopper indicate that “Celtic are interested in a reunion with Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard. The Frenchman could become available with a deal nearing closer between Palace and Arsenal for Eddie Nketiah.”

With only a few days to go until any transfer business must close for four months, Palace are also said to be improving their offer for Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix while also maintaining an interest in Wolves star Rayan Ait Nouri as Glasner hopes his squad ameliorates their poor start to the 2024/45 campaign which has seen them lose to both Aston Villa and West Ham.

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