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Berta needs to get a deal done | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are said to be pushing to get a new deal done as they continue to work on transfer business.
Arsenal have some business attend to independently of their incoming transfer business this summer. The Gunners are in the midst of a very busy summer as Mikel Arteta looks to add depth and quality across their squad.
But Arsenal have contract business to take care of after allowing Thomas Partey and Jorginho to leave the club at the end of their respective deals, albeit seemingly for differing reasons.
One player who is out of contract next summer is star talent Ethan Nwaneri, who was superb for the Gunners last term. The 18-year-old is tipped to be one of the best young talents in the Premier League, but Arsenal are at risk of seeing him reach his peak at another club.
The Gunners have been unable to reach an agreement over a new contract at this stage, and that has fans concerned. The Athletic’s David Ornstein has been speaking about the contract talks as those fears grow. “There’s a similar situation, of course, with Ethan Nwaneri, an amazing talent, academy product, who we understand wants to stay at Arsenal,” he told The Athletic FC podcast.
“That doesn’t always mean it’s a foregone conclusion because you’ve got to get the deal right, his terms expire next summer. In one sense, they have got a long time, because when he was moving from scholarship to pro, I don’t think he signed until the very end, just before he was about to become a free agent, and he could’ve had his pick of clubs, but he wanted to stay. Eventually, they got the deal right.”
He added: “With Nwaneri, there’s interest building in him, no surprise, you’d be more surprised if there wasn’t. It’s clear that there’s interest on the continent from Germany. Interest from Chelsea. There will be tons of suitors for him if he is to become available. But, right now, the focus is on the talks. Are they going to reach an agreement? Arsenal want to. He will be keen to stay!”
Nwaneri praise
Speaking about Nwaneri back in January, Arteta said of the young attacker: “That's what we love about him, he's willing to take the initiative to make things happen. He's very aggressive when he's got the ball and so confident, because before that he had another action, a very similar one, he made the right choice, he went for it.
“He has the capacity to finish from every angle basically and it was a very important goal."It's very natural for him, you can see the way he takes the touches, how he beats people and then the technique he's got, he's so precise in his finishing, put him a lot of times in that situation and the outcome will be good.”
Arsenal have already wrapped up a new contract for Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Nwaneri will be the next priority.
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