Eddie Nketiah remains on course to leave Arsenal and could even exit the club in January, according to reports in the British media.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Nketiah is still looking to leave the north London club despite Mikel Arteta’s pleas for him to stay and sign a new contract.
The 22-year-old’s current deal at The Emirates is due to expire in the summer and he will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the new year.
Nketiah earned lots of praise for his impressive performance in Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Sunderland in the League Cup on Tuesday night, with the forward netting a superb hat-trick in a man-of-the-match display.
However, despite Arteta’s pleas for Nketiah to stay and sign a new deal, the report claims that Arsenal’s attempts to convince him to pen a new contract have been rebuffed.
The article also claims that Nketiah is attracting interest from Germany and France ahead of the January transfer window. West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brighton are said to be among his Premier League admirers – and a cut-price exit in January cannot be ruled out, according to the article.
The uncertainty about Nketiah’s long-term future at the club stems from his lack of playing time this season. The attacker has only featured three times in the Premier League so far – and all those appearances have come from the bench.
He has been in excellent form in the League Cup, however, with Nketiah having scored at least once in every one of Arsenal’s games against AFC Wimbledon, Leeds United and most recently Sunderland.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will take on Liverpool FC in the League Cup semi-finals in January after their triumph over the Black Cats.
Mikel Arteta’s men are back in Premier League action on Boxing Day when they travel to take on Norwich City.