'Legend' Henrikh Mkhitaryan wears 'No. 14'

Olympique Marseille are pursuing a move for Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal).

Nketiah came through the ranks of Arsenal's U-18 team in 2015. He scored consistently for the age-group team and caught the eye, making his first-team debut in the 2017-18 season. Despite the high expectations, Nketiah never really developed his game and remained a backup.

Still, Arsenal didn't give up on Nketiah easily. They signed him to a new five-year contract ahead of the 2022-23 season, despite speculation that he would leave the club. What's more, he inherited the number 14 shirt from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, a sure sign of respect.

However, he still underperformed. Nketiah scored just four goals in 30 league appearances in 2022-23, and this season he scored just five league goals. Furthermore, this season saw Gabriel Jezus lose his starting spot to injury early in the 카지노사이트 추천 season and Kai Habertz took over. Haberz was a revelation, scoring 13 goals in the league.

While Haberz has been satisfactory, the Gunners recognize that they need a clear-cut striker to help them win the Premier League title. As such, the Gunners have been pursuing strikers such as Victor Osimhen (Napoli) and Victor Yokerez (Sporting) in the summer transfer window.

Arsenal will be looking to sell Nketiah and other non-core players such as Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey in order to secure the transfer fee. This is why Marseille have started to show interest in Nketiah.

European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said on Wednesday (June 21): “Marseille have sent Arsenal a first offer for Nketiah. No agreement has been reached yet, but talks between the clubs are ongoing. Nketiah is Marseille's second priority after Mason Greenwood,” the report said.

French publication Foot Mercato also reported that “Nketiah is intrigued by Marseille's project and wants to leave Arsenal to join Marseille. The contract negotiations are very positive, although a specific amount has not yet been decided.”