Arsenal lose out on key transfer suitor for £30 million forward

Arsenal are still in the hunt for new attacking options to help the quintet of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus (currently injured), Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka out.

A striker has long been viewed as the main priority target for Arsenal this summer after two seasons of coming up short against Erling Haaland and Manchester City, but the Gunners have been just as invested in finding winger depth, with Athletic Club star Nico Williams making the rounds as a favored option.

Arsenal have already secured two major summer signings in Real Sociedad center midfielder Mikel Merino and Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, both of whom are among Europe’s best in their roles.

Now, Arsenal are pushing to make some more sales on top of the profit they generated from Emile Smith-Rowe’s transfer to Fulham, and they have been trying to find an ideal suitor for striker Eddie Nketiah.

The backup forward has been courted heavily by Nottingham Forest, but it looks like this inra-Premier League transfer for Nketiah is about to fall through, just as a move to Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille amounted to nothing.

According to a report from Sky Sports’s Dharmesh Sheth, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal were unable to reach an agreement for Eddie Nketiah, and it appears Forest are now pivoting to Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez.

Based on Fabrizio Romano’s latest report, Feyenoord could set a new transfer record by selling Gimenez to Forest, as the Premier League side have offered the club 33 million euros for the talented 23-year-old Mexican international.

Forest will be paying around the same amount of money for Gimenez, who doesn’t have Nketiah’s Premier League experience but is a few years younger and scored 23 goals with 6 assists under Arne Slot in the Eredivisie last season.

Arsenal will have to find another suitor for Nketiah, but, per Sheth, they do have a couple of teams around Europe interested. Their best bet will be to find someone in the Premier League willing to take him for around 30 million.