According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace’s interest in Eddie Nketiah is expected to intensify greatly in the coming days.
What’s the story?
Well, it was The Athletic who revealed that the Eagles would be willing to spend £10m on the 22-year-old.
However, Arsenal are said to want £20m for their Hale End Academy graduate, who earns £45,000-a-week.
Nketiah himself is said to be hoping to leave the Emirates Stadium before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, again revealed by The Athletic.
The England Under-21 international – who displaced Alan Shearer as the nation’s all-time top scorer at that level – has found game time hard to come by under Mikel Arteta.
In truth, it’s always going to be difficult for Nketiah with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette ahead of him in the pecking order.
Should Crystal Palace sign Eddie Nketiah?
In our view, this would be a good deal for the south Londoners if Arsenal agree to sell for a fee between £10m – £15m.
Nketiah has proven himself as a goalscorer, netting 16 goals in 17 England Under-21 games, as well as 28 in 39 for Arsenal’s Under-23 side.
Of course, it would be nice to see more evidence of his capabilities in senior football, although Arteta hasn’t really given him many chances.
In Patrick Vieira’s case, the Frenchman doesn’t really have a forward like Nketiah in his squad.
In Christian Benteke and Jean-Philippe Mateta, Vieira only has tall, slow strikers, while Jordan Ayew has been used as a winger so far this season.
If the money is right for Crystal Palace, we believe Nketiah will succeed in SE25.
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