Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal is at the top of Nottingham Forest’s shortlist as they attempt to add a striker before the transfer season closes, TEAMtalk can disclose.
Our transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan has received information from sources indicating that the Tricky Trees’ search for a new center-forward has been a “stressful operation.”
They have already seen an approach for Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez turned down and are now putting their full attention on Nketiah and hope to land the Arsenal man.
The 25-year-old does not want to lose out on the £120,000 per week wage he earns with the Gunners but TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that Forest are willing to offer him huge wages to secure his signature.
We understand that Forest are willing to almost match Nketiah’s current salary and therefore, he could become the club’s new highest earner.
Whether or not that will be enough to tempt the once-capped England international remains to be seen, however, as TEAMtalk sources say Nketiah was ‘gutted’ that a move to French giants Marseille broke down earlier this month.
Marseille were not willing to meet Arsenal’s demands despite Nketiah agreeing to the move. He was keen to link up with some of their new signings and play under Roberto De Zerbi.
Marseille’s failure to agree a fee with Arsenal for Nketiah has left the striker in limbo, but some sources suggest that De Zerbi’s side could come back in for him before the transfer window slams shut.
The French club will have to move quickly to bring Nketiah in as Forest are preparing to launch another bid for him after seeing an offer of £25m rejected by Arsenal.
Marseille will now need to meet Forest’s generous contract offer, which would see him become the club’s highest paid member at £120,000 a week.
Arsenal has made it plain to any potential buyer for Nketiah that they are seeking a fee of £30 million. The structure of Forest’s £25 million bid did not sit well with Mikel Arteta’s team, therefore they are looking to add as much money as they can for the forward.
As was previously disclosed, Everton is likewise a huge fan of Nketiah; however, at this time, a loan deal for Chelsea player Armando Broja is more important to them than a £30 million purchase.
Since making his debut with the Arsenal first squad in 2017, Nketiah has made 168 appearances for the London team, scoring 38 goals.
But in recent seasons, he has lost ground in the hierarchy, which is why the Gunners are willing to let him go before the end of the month.
