Indonesia
South Africa

Transfer news and rumours: Nketiah to Forest, Lacroix to Palace, Benson to Leeds

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 August 2024, 09:49
Nottingham Forest have reportedly joined the race for Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, who is widely expected to leave the Emirates Stadium before this summer's transfer window closes for business.

Bournemouth have been credited with an interest in Nketiah, but the Cherries announced on Friday that they had signed Evanilson from Porto in a club-record deal.

A number of other Premier League clubs are still said to be keen on the Arsenal forward, and according to Sky Sports News, Forest are among them.

The report claims that Forest want competition for Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood in the final third of the field, and Nketiah is viewed as a genuine target for the club.

The 25-year-old scored six goals and registered three assists in 37 appearances for Arsenal during the 2023-24 campaign.

In total, Nketiah has turned out for the Gunners on 168 occasions in all competitions, scoring 38 goals and registering seven assists in the process.

Palace 'closing in' on Lacroix deal

Meanwhile, according to Sky Deutschland, Crystal Palace are close to completing the signing of central defender Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg.

There has been a host of speculation surrounding Lacroix's future this summer, with a number of clubs believed to be admirers.

However, Palace are allegedly advancing on a deal, with the Eagles already coming to an agreement with Lacroix over personal terms.

The report claims that the English club are now in discussions with Wolfsburg, and the Bundesliga outfit want in the region of €20m (£17m) for his signature.

The 24-year-old has made 129 appearances for Wolfsburg in all competitions since his arrival from France's second tier, including 31 outings in 2023-24.

Leeds 'register interest' in Benson

Elsewhere, Leeds United are reportedly keen to sign Burnley forward Manuel Benson before this summer's transfer window closes for business.

Benson, 27, made the move to Burnley from Royal Antwerp in 2022, and he has scored 13 times in 46 appearances for the Clarets in all competitions.

The winger netted 11 times in the Championship during the 2022-23 season, but he was restricted to just eight Premier League appearances last term.

According to Football Insider, Leeds have made contact with Burnley to discuss a move for Benson in the latter stages of the summer market.

The right-sided attacker was an unused substitute for Burnley's first match of the new Championship campaign against Luton Town.

Benson has another three years left to run on his contract at Turf Moor, having signed a contract extension in August 2023.

Top News

5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expected to be without 17-year-old gem Ethan Nwaneri for Tuesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg at home to Newcastle United. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bidding to make North London lightning strike twice in the space of four days, Newcastle United stop over at the Emirates on Tuesday evening to battle Arsenal in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's home Premier League contest with Manchester United is on, with the fixture between the two most successful clubs in English football going ahead as planned at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be aiming to book their spot in the final of the Spanish Super Cup when they tackle Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday night. 5 January 2025 talksport.com Josh Windass could be set to swap Sheffield Wednesday for Santos in a sensational January transfer, talkSPORT understands. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town are reportedly on the verge of signing central defender Ben Godfrey on loan from Atalanta BC. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea reportedly remain keen to reach a financial agreement with Torino regarding the sale of Cesare Casadei. 5 January 2025 talksport.com Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester United is currently still set to go ahead on Sunday afternoon. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the permanent transfer of Czech Republic goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth a reported £12. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk AC Milan are reportedly considering a loan move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus are reportedly lining up a move for Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Premier League clash with bitter rivals Manchester United, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Anfield, could allegedly be cancelled due to bad weather, with snow falling overnight in the Liverpool area. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The transfer window is open! Clubs around the UK and Europe have one final chance to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ourense CF vs. Valladolid (Sunday, 11.00am) La Liga's basement side Real Valladolid will be bidding to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they head to third-tier outfit Ourense CF on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Kasimpasa vs. Gaziantep (Sunday, 10.30am) Kasimpasa will look to add more wins to their current unbeaten run when they host Gaziantep at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Farense (Sunday, 3.30pm) High-flying Santa Clara welcome relegation-threatened SC Farense in gameweek 17 of the 2024-25 Primeira Liga season on Sunday at the Estadio de Sao Miguel. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Monza vs. Cagliari (Sunday, 11.30am) After both ended 2024 with four straight Serie A defeats, relegation rivals Monza and Cagliari will vie for victory in their year-opening fixture on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lens vs. Toulouse (Sunday, 2.00pm) Two sides in the hunt for a place in Europe next season resume their Ligue 1 campaigns on Sunday as Lens host Toulouse at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hibernian vs. Rangers (Sunday, 12.00pm) Rangers will aim to build on their superb 3-0 victory in the Old Firm Derby as they head to Easter Road Stadium on Sunday to face an in-form Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have agreed to recall Stefan Bajcetic from his loan at Red Bull Salzburg and send him back out in January, with Real Betis heavily linked to the midfielder. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Queens Park Rangers will look to claim a second straight victory when they welcome Luton Town to Loftus Road for Monday's Championship clash. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's pursuit of left-back Julio Soler appears to have ended in failure, with Bournemouth reportedly in advanced talks with Argentine club Lanus for his signature this winter. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly tabled an enormous £78m contract to Trent Alexander-Arnold in an attempt to stop the defender joining Real Madrid for free in the summer. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Matheus Cunha is set to sign a new long-term contract at Wolves, talkSPORT understands. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Tottenham and Newcastle kicked off a thrilling day of Premier League action, but Brentford and Bournemouth did their best to steal the headlines. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal are facing another injury scare after Ethan Nwaneri was brought off at half-time against Brighton. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal were pegged back in their quest to catch up with Premier League leaders Liverpool following a 1-1 draw at Brighton. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he was forced to bring Ethan Nwaneri off at half time in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion due to injury. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool could make a statement to the rest of the Premier League should they heavily beat Ruben Amorim's deflated Manchester United side, according to Reds experts David Lynch. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona eased their way into the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey on Saturday evening courtesy of a 4-0 success over fourth-tier outfit Barbastro at Estadio Municipal de Deportes de Barbastro.