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Greek champions Olympiakos are interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.
The Egyptian midfielder has been on loan this season with Beşiktaş, and, after a difficult start, impressed in the Turkish Super Lig, and they had made enquiries about wanting to make the move permanent.
However, then came the shutdown of football because of the Covid-19 outbreak, and, faced with severe financial problems, Beşiktaş began to fall behind in salary payments to Elneny.
That prompted him to seek a return to London, but the Gunners have made it clear that he is not wanted back at the Emirates, and that he does not feature in Mikel Arteta’s plans for next season.
That may give Olympiakos the opportunity to step-in, having been monitoring the player for several months.
Elneny’s loan deal with Beşiktaş included an option to buy for £16 million but, given the current financial climate, it is unrealistic to expect such a sum now.
Instead another loan deal may be on the cards, with Elneny swapping Istanbul for Athens.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.