Arsenal could be handed transfer windfall as Unai Emery closes on Newcastle job

Time is fast running out for Arsenal to secure the future of Hale End graduate Eddie Nketiah.

The striker has been with the club since the age of 16, but with talks over a new deal at an impasse, it looks increasingly like this will be his final season for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta has often spoken in glowing terms about the young forward, suggesting that he predicts he will have a massive future in the game.

Just last week, the Arsenal boss suggested he wanted to keep hold of Nketiah, 22, who will become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

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Eddie Nketiah will be a free agent at the end of the season ( Image:

Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images)

"We had a situation in the summer and there are still issues to resolve," Arteta said after Nketiah's goal in the EFL Cup. "But I have belief that Eddie is going to be a top, top player - hopefully for Arsenal.

"I'm happy to have him in the team, I rate him really highly and, from my side, I want him to stay."

However, actions have spoken louder than words when it comes to Arteta's real desire to involve Nketiah within his growing Emirates revolution.

In 10 Premier League games this season, he is yet to feature, that's despite matches where both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have been absent.

In the opening game of the season, Arteta opted to start fellow youngster Folarin Balogun, possibly due to his more secure future.

And that has left Nketiah's standing at the club perilous to say the least. During the summer window there was extensive speculation linking him with an exit, with Arsenal reportedly demanding £20million for his services.

Should they fail to come to an agreement on a new deal between now and next May, that's £20m towards the rebuild which will have gone down the drain.

Unai Emery is reportedly the frontrunner to become Newcastle manager ( Image:

Handout via REUTERS)

That means a January exit could become palatable and with his former boss Unai Emery close to coming back to the Premier League, a perfect escape route may have emerged.

When Nketiah was loaned out to Leeds in 2019, he confirmed that Emery actually wanted him to stay at Arsenal and saw him as an important part in his own plans.

The ex-Gunners boss is said to be edging closer to being appointed as Newcastle United's new boss with the club's Saudi Arabian ownership ready to flex their considerable financial muscle for the first time since taking over.

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The Magpies are said to be confident in getting a deal over the line for the Villarreal boss and will back him suitably in their quest to avoid the drop.

With Newcastle marooned in the bottom three, their list of requirements in January will be plentiful. But right at the top of said list will likely be a new striker.

There is a need for another body to help Callum Wilson and Nketiah could fit the bill perfectly.

After selling Joe Willock to the Tyneside giants in the summer, Emery's arrival at Newcastle could provide Arsenal with another timely cash injection.