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Crystal Palace are reportedly on the verge of signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this summer. The Englishman was one of the London club's primary targets, as they look to bolster manager Oliver Glasner’s attacking options.
The 25-year-old striker finds himself behind German Kai Havertz and Brazilian Gabriel Jesus in the No. 9 position in Mikel Arteta's side. It was rumoured that he would be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium in search of regular football.
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the English forward is on his way across town to Crystal Palace on a permanent deal. The deal is rumoured to be worth £30 million including add-ons.
"Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace, here we go! Deal in place between clubs for £25m fixed fee plus £5m add-ons. Nketiah already accepted to join #CPFC two days ago and he’s now set to complete medical tests. Permanent move as Arsenal wanted, green light arrived," posted Romano.
Nketiah joined Arsenal's youth system in 2015 from Chelsea and made his senior team debut two years later. He has made 168 appearances for the Gunners and found the net 38 times. He won the FA Cup with the north London side in 2019-20.
At the moment, Eddie is our player - Arsenal boss Arteta
Havertz led the line for Arsenal in their last match against Aston Villa, which they won 2-0. Neither Nketiah nor Jesus were on the bench for the Gunners.
Arteta clarified the situation, revealing that Jesus suffered an injury in training on Thursday, August 22.
"Unfortunately on Thursday in the training session, just at the end he felt something in his groin. We’ll need to assess him. We need to have an MRI scan to see, but he wasn’t available for the game," Arteta told the press (via Tribal Football).
"We have to see. Probably tomorrow or Monday we’ll have the results to see if it’s a matter of days or weeks. We don’t know," he added.
Asked if Nketiah could end up staying to cover for Jesus' injury, Arteta said the player is committed to the club, but refrained from providing a definitive answer to his future.
"At the moment, Eddie is our player. He’s very committed to us. Regardless of the noise, he’s here and he wants to be here with us. He’s really happy that we won the game," Arteta said.
Nketiah, if he joins Palace, will be the club's fifth permanent signing of the window.
