West Ham United in front of queue to sign unsettled Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah
West Ham United are at the front of the queue should Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah become available for a transfer this summer, according to The Sun.
According to the report [24 June], the former England under-21 international has become unsettled at Arsenal’s pursuit of Chelsea forward Kai Havertz who looks set to complete his move across London in the coming days.
The German’s arrival at The Emirates could push Nketiah further down the pecking order in Mikel Arteta’s squad, putting West Ham and Crystal Palace are on red alert for his signature.
The Daily Mail reported on [15 June], Arsenal are prepared to give West Ham United first refusal on outgoing players later this summer, with the Hammers showing interest in the £100k-per-week striker in the past.
And according to The Sun [24 June], the Hammers and Palace lead the race but Arsenal are in no rush to move the nine-goal player on this summer.
Explore opportunity
The race for Rice’s signature is intensifying after Arsenal’s two offers but it is certainly nice to see West Ham United standing firm in their £100m-plus valuation of the midfielder.
And the latest report in the Daily Mail certainly suggests that the Gunners are prepared to hand West Ham an incentive on the deal, and the Nketiah opportunity is certainly worth exploring.
David Moyes looks set to lose both Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio, as well as Rice this summer which means the Hammers will be looking to identify Premier-League-ready targets to bolster and revamp his squad.
Nketiah certainly fits the bill and the kind of player West Ham United should be targeting. He’s homegrown, is Premier League proven, holds the capabilities to score goals and the London Stadium can provide him with the platform to finally show his worth on a regular basis – something he’s not getting currently at The Emirates.
When Nketiah starts games, he is a real handful as evidenced by his terrific purple patch between November and January when Gabriel Jesus was out injured.
West Ham United are in desperate need of strikers next season, and Nketiah needs games under his belt despite signing a new deal last year, this is a partnership which makes perfect sense.