Eddie Nketiah could get the chance to remain in the Premier League as Bournemouth eye a move for the Arsenal frontman.
The Gunners had been in discussions with Marseille over a £25million switch for the striker, but the Ligue 1 outfit have diverted their attention and are instead set to sign Elye Wahi from Lens.
Bournemouth have now come to the party as they look to bring more firepower to the south coast. They just allowed last season's top scorer Dominic Solanke to leave for Tottenham, but now have more than £60m to play with as they seek a replacement.
The Cherries are yet to back up their interest with an offer whilst Crystal Palace are also known to have a long-term interest in the forward. Nketiah appears to be out of favour with Mikel Arteta, who last handed him a competitive start at Fulham in December.
The striker had been keen on a move to France before that door closed with the Englishman behind Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order. In the final months of the season Arteta also chose to employ Kai Havertz as a false 9, which further limited Nketiah's game time.
Despite that the Spanish coach has insisted those who are still in north London and more likely to remain where they are than to leave. He said: “All the players that are here there’s biggest chance that they stay with us. That’s why they’re here.”
Last term Nketiah scored just six in all competitions, but even without him Arsenal didn't struggle for goals. They were the Premier League's second top scorers and they notched four or more in a game on nine occasions.
Offloading Nketiah could aid Arsenal's pursuit of their other targets with Riccardo Calafiori their only major arrivals this summer - alongside David Raya whose loan deal was made permanent. Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino has been on their radar for several weeks as they work to finalise a deal.
The Spanish side have already lost one of their Euro 2024 winners but have retained Martin Zubimendi, who turned down Liverpool. As a result Sociedad could be more willing to part with Merino if they receive the right fee.