Arsenal put £40 million price tag on 'brilliant' striker

Arsenal have announced Eddie Nketiah will be available for transfer this summer but the Premier League sides hopeful of securing his services will have to cough up £40 million to sign the striker. According to reports from HITC, the Gunners are hopeful of cashing in on the academy graduate and there appears to be plenty of interest for the England international with Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham and Crystal Palace all in the market for signing a new number nine ahead the 2024/25 campaign.

If, as Arsenal hope, the bidding for the 24-year-old does start at £40 million, it would then require a club-record investment from Palace, Fulham and Bournemouth. Additionally, if the deal does go through, due to being an Arsenal graduate, Nketiah would count as ‘pure profit’ for the Gunners. Additionally, Nketiah’s current contract with the club is set to run out in 2027, giving Arteta plenty of room for negotiation.

Nketiah - who is England’s U21 leading goal-scorer - made his first-team debut for Arsenal back in 2017/18 and has accumulated over 150 appearances. He enjoyed one season at Leeds United in 2019 before returning to the Emirates.

However he has continued to remain a back-up option with Arteta choosing to opt for German international Kai Havertz or Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus up top. Nketiah’s goals-per-starts continue to remain impressive with the striker scoring five goals this term as well as four goals in nine starts last campaign which included a brace in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester United.

Speaking about his teammate, Gabriel Jesus - who has also struggled for minutes this season due to injury - said: “Obviously, it’s not easy. Not only for me but for Eddie as well. Eddie, if you see the way he works, it’s unbelievable. (But) Kai is amazing, having amazing games, scoring, helping a lot. So that is the price you have to pay to be in a huge club and you have to fight to play.”