The ongoing saga surrounding Arsenal’s sale of Eddie Nketiah to Olympique de Marseille appears to have come to a bad end, with the striker looking unlikely to get his desired move after all.

Eddie Nketiah’s transfer fails despite player’s “green light”

Arsenal and Marseille cannot reach agreement

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Olympique Marseille informed Arsenal that this transfer was “100% off”. It seems that the problem came from north London, as the Gunners insisted on a package of €30 million. The French side had had offers of up to €27 million rejected and were therefore understandably frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations.

Read more: Arsenal part ways with “powerful and technical” young product

Nketiah clearly wanted this transfer and had agreed to personal terms more than a week earlier. He had given the ‘green light’ and Arsenal are clearly looking to offload the player at a profit, so it seems odd that they let this deal fall through in this way.

What’s next for Eddie Nketiah?

Nketiah started just 10 league games last season but scored five goals and provided two assists. The 25-year-old is likely ready to leave the Emirates, as evidenced by his willingness to move to Marseille – a club that finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season.

Read more: Manchester United snatches ‘incredible’ starlet from Arsenal’s clutches

With a severe shortage of proven strikers on the market at the moment, there are many teams that would benefit from the arrival of the Arsenal youngster. One example would be AFC Bournemouth, who just lost their talisman Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur. With a club record sale of £65 million, the Cherries could well afford the touted fee of around £25 million for Nketiah.

Solanke scored 19 goals in the 2023/24 Premier League season; that performance needs to be replaced. With 19 PL goals to his name, Nketiah could have a respectable goal tally this season if he is made the focal point of a team like Bournemouth.