Striker Eddie Nketiah has rejected the latest contract offer made by Arsenal.
The 22-yea old’s current deal at the club expires at the end of the season, and he is not mindful to extend his stay in North London because of a lack of playing time, despite Mikel Arteta publicly saying that he wants to keep him.
He will now be free to begin negotiations with clubs from abroad in January.
England’s record scorer at under-21 level, Nketiah came close to joining Crystal Palace in the summer. The two clubs had agreed a fee for him, but the deal broke down at the last minute over personal terms.
This season he has found first-team opportunities mainly limited to the Carabao Cup, and the team’s lack of involvement n European football means that he has not had the sort of opportunities he would have liked to stake his claim for a place in the team.
He was a late substitute in the defeat at Manchester United on Thursday night, but made little impression on the game.
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.