Marseille send message to Arsenal after Eddie Nketiah transfer demand

Marseille are set to pull out of the race to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, according to reports in France.

Arsenal have rejected several bids from the Ligue 1 side for Nketiah this summer, including an offer worth €27 million (£23m).

Nketiah has also agreed personal terms with Marseille and is keen to link up with Roberto De Zerbi, who joined the French club earlier this summer.

Arsenal, meanwhile, had been holding out for a €30m (£25.6m) fee for Nketiah, who started just 10 Premier League games last season.

RMC Sport report that Marseille are now set to move on from Nketiah as they close in on a deal for Lens forward Elye Wahi.

The report claims that Marseille have agreed an initial €25m (£21.3m) fee with Lens, plus a further €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons for the 21-year-old.

Wahi, who scored nine goals in Ligue 1 last season, has already agreed personal terms with Marseille.

It’s claimed that Marseille are aiming to finalise an agreement with Lens by Tuesday and will consider a final offer for Nketiah if a deal for Wahi is not secured.

When asked about Nketiah’s future after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Lyon on Sunday, Mikel Arteta said: ‘All the players that are here, that’s the biggest chance that they’ll stay with us. That’s why there here.

‘We will see. We will evaluate if something is there to decide. At the moment there isn’t.’

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