Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers could go head to head in the chase to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, who has been told he is free to leave the Gunners this summer, according to Teamtalk.
The 24 year-old centre forward has slipped so far down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium that he hasn’t started a Premier League fixture since November. Mikel Arteta has preferred to pick Gabriel Jesus and previously Kai Havertz in a forward role ahead of Nketiah and, with Arsenal preparing to sign a striker over the close season, the Arsenal academy graduate’s game time could be limited even further.
The England international, who has scored 38 goals in 164 games for the Gunners, has previously declared his desire to stay and fight for his place in Arteta’s future plans but Arsenal are eyeing up the possibility of selling the highly-rated homegrown prospect to fund a summer spending spree. Although he is contracted to Arsenal until the summer of 2027, Nketiah’s representatives have been discreetly making enquiries with their client’s former suitors, including Crystal Palace, Brentford, Wolves and Fulham.
The Whites had been widely tipped to enter the market for a new striker this summer but it will be interesting to see how the rejuvenation of Rodrigo Muniz impacts on their transfer business. The Brazilian forward has scored seven goals in his last seven games since replacing Raul Jimenez in Marco Silva’s starting line-up. Fulham have held a long-standing interest in Nketiah – but it remains to be seen whether they will watch Arsenal’s asking price, which was previously reported at around £45m.
