Arsenal is still hoping to persuade Eddie Nketiah to stay with the club

Arsenal hasn’t abandoned all hope of convincing Eddie Nketiah to remain at the Emirates Stadium. Nketiah is nearing the end of his current Arsenal contract and has attracted interest from several clubs.

Convince Nketiah to Stay

Crystal Palace were interested in signing the 22-year-old in January and are still in the running to sign him as a free agent in the summer. He is also being pursued by German clubs such as Borussia Monchengladbach, and he is now eligible to sign a pre-contract deal with a foreign club.

Mikel Arteta admits to being ‘harsh’ on Nketiah after his two-goal performance against Chelsea, saying: “if Eddie hasn’t played more, it’s my fault and because as a manager I have missed something or haven’t dared to play him more, and today he showed me again how wrong I was.”

Arsenal and Gakpo

Arsenal recognizes that they may not be able to match with Nketiah’s willingness to play more consistently than he has, but an ultimate decision on his next target has yet to be decided, keeping them optimistic.

Their transfer intentions are also expected to have an impact, with Dutch international Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven being one player with whom they have held conversations about a summer move.

Arsenal’s enthusiasm in Gakpo, who is primarily a left-winger but has played across the frontline, will be determined by which European competition they compete for and Arteta’s own opinions on his assault for next season. Gakpo has 18 goals and 15 assists in 42 games for PSV this season and is estimated to cost between £30m and £40m.

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