Marseille eye Arsenal forward after Mason Greenwood talks

Marseille have been tipped to move Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah on top of a deal for Manchester United outcast Mason Greenwood.

The Ligue 1 side are believed to have struck an agreement with United over Greenwood worth £23.3m plus a further £3.4m in add-ons, as well as a sizeable sell-on clause. However, there has been significant backlash over the assault and attempted rape charges in his past.

With a huge goal boost required to have any chance of closing the gap on domestic giants Paris Saint-Germain – 26 points and seven places separated them last season – Marseille are seemingly looking for another new forward as well.

FootMercato reports that the "first steps" towards signing Nketiah have been taken after "positive" initial contact between the club and the player. The 25-year-old, who made his England debut in 2023 and has played 168 times for Arsenal, is described as "interested" in Marseille.

Even with Arsenal's lack of a true striker, Nketiah has consistently been a backup player. Last season, the home-grown striker made 37 appearances across all competitions but started only ten Premier League games. He was persuaded to sign a new long-term contract in 2022 but hasn't been able to further establish himself in the two years since.

Nketiah has seen up close what moving to France can do for a career. Folarin Balogun was loaned to Reims in 2022/23 and scored 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances given the chance to play regularly. That benefitted Arsenal too because Balogun then commanded a £35m transfer fee to join Monaco.

Arsenal and Marseille have done notable business in recent seasons, loaning William Saliba to Stade Velodrome during the 2021/22 campaign before he established himself back in north London. Matteo Guendouzi was also on loan that year, before a permanent transfer. The midfielder, who joined the Gunners as a teenager in 2018, has since been sold on to Lazio for a profit.

READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS & GOSSIP FROM AROUND THE WORLD