Marseille 'working on deal to sign Arsenal star' but face major stumbling block to completing move

Marseille are reportedly working on a late deal to bring Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko to France before the transfer deadline.

The Ligue 1 side want to strengthen Roberto De Zerbi's squad and are said to have opened discussions over a permanent move for the versatile full-back, who can also play in midfield.

Zinchenko, 28, is in the final year of his Arsenal contract and has yet to feature this season after making 15 Premier League appearances in the previous campaign.

According to The Athletic, talks are ongoing, but the Ukraine international's wages could prove a major hurdle to Marseille getting a deal over the line.

Zinchenko arrived at the Emirates from Manchester City in 2022 for £32 million and quickly became Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back, making more than 30 appearances in each of his first two campaigns.

But his influence has since diminished, with academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber now seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

The defender played only 23 times across all competitions last season.

Arsenal could do with moving Zinchenko on before Monday's deadline to help balance the books, having spent heavily on new signings this summer, including the likes of Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke.

Zinchenko has been tipped for an exit throughout the window. Fulham said to be weighing up a £10m offer in June, but nothing came of it.

Both Arsenal and Marseille will be in Champions League action this season.

Arsenal's league phase fixtures include clashes with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, while De Zerbi's men face Real Madrid, Liverpool and Newcastle.