The Telegraph claim that Newcastle are in pole position to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah before the end of the January window – with talks ‘progressing well’. The Toon are leading Crystal Palace for his signature.
Nketiah 22, is struggling for game time at Arsenal – with Mikel Arteta preferring the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earlier this season. Nketiah is out of contract in June.
While the ex-England Under-21 skipper has only managed 51 minutes in the Premier League across four substitute appearances, he has scored five goals in five in the Carabao Cup. Newcastle could sign him before the deadline.
The Telegraph report that the Toon have been working on a deal for Nketiah for some time, behind the scenes. Palace are also keen, but Newcastle are on pole and talks are going well. The fee is not mentioned.
They do claim, though, that Newcastle could make three signings and Nketiah is one of those – along with Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes. The other, could be Brighton’s Dan Burn as negotiations continue for the Toon fan.
Newcastle close in on Nketiah: A fair price for the Arsenal star?
The Times reported last summer that a fee of £12million was rejected by Arsenal from Palace for Nketiah – with the Gunners requesting a deal closer to £20million. But now, the possibility of losing him on a free is very real.
Just three days remain in the window and if Arsenal are to get any cash for his signature, they must sell him. That will drive the price down and there is an argument that the £12million rejected, would now be accepted.
If Arsenal receive anything with eight figures, they would be foolish not to cash in on a player they will lose on a free in six months. Newcastle could do with another striker, despite the signing of Chris Wood.
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