Fulham 'willing' to pay £30m for ex-Leeds United striker signed by Marcelo Bielsa with Everton and Wolves keen

Fulham have emerged as leading contenders to sign Eddie Nketiah this season and would reportedly be willing to pay £30million for the former Leeds United loanee.

Nketiah looks set to leave Arsenal this summer, with the 25-year-old desperate to secure regular first-team football that has been lacking under Mikel Arteta. Just 10 of the striker’s 27 Premier League appearances this season came from the start, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard all preferred to lead the line at points.

Arsenal will look to sign a striker this summer in a move that would push Nketiah further down the pecking order but he has attracted plenty of interest from other Premier League outfits. And the Sun now reports that Fulham are in ‘pole position’ to secure his services for next season.

Marco Silva’s side lead a four-team race for Nketiah, with Crystal Palace and Wolves also keen on a permanent deal, having kept tabs on the Gunners frontman for some time. Everton are also weighing up an approach but amid ongoing financial issues at Goodison Park, would only likely take him on loan. Previous reports have also cited Leicester City and Brentford as potential destinations for the one-capped England international.

Arsenal are reluctant to lose Nketiah, who is highly-regarded by Arteta despite the lack of football, but may be left with little option but to cash in if the player makes clear his desire to leave. Fulham’s willingness to pay up to £30m could also tempt the Premier League title hopefuls to accept an offer.

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Having been released by Chelsea for being too small, Nketiah joined Arsenal as a teenager in 2015 and has spent the best part of a decade developing with the Gunners. The forward has spent the vast majority of that time in north London, leaving on loan just once when he joined Leeds United in 2019.

Nketiah was brought in to replace the outgoing Kemar Roofe at Elland Road but found regular starts hard to come by, with Marcelo Bielsa remaining loyal to Patrick Bamford despite clamour to make the change up top from supporters. Despite that, Nketiah did score some important goals as United won promotion from the Championship, netting the winner on his league debut against Brentford.

But Bielsa’s decision to back Bamford saw Nketiah pushed to the fringes and he eventually returned to Arsenal in January. In a bid to source cover upfront, Leeds took Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan from RB Leipzig, a move that would later cost them millions after going through the courts.

Arsenal are thought to be pursuing a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko - currently an employee of new Leeds investors Red Bull - as Mikel Arteta prepares for a third shot at the Premier League title, having missed out to Manchester City again. The Slovenian is thought to have a release clause worth £55m in his contract and finished the campaign with 18 goals across all competitions.