Borussia Dortmund have made a fresh enquiry about Ethan Nwaneri after the 19-year-old’s loan at Marseille ends this month, with Sky Sports Germany reporting the Bundesliga club remain the primary suitor for the Arsenal attacking midfielder and that Nwaneri himself is open to a move to Signal Iduna Park this summer.
Nwaneri returns to Arsenal having scored two goals in 11 Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille, a respectable return but below the level of impact many had anticipated when the loan was sanctioned in January. The French club had no buy option in the deal, making his return to north London automatic.
Arsenal are willing to listen to offers in the region of £35-40m, a sale that would represent pure profit on the balance sheet given Nwaneri’s status as an academy graduate, with financial fair play considerations making homegrown sales particularly attractive to the club’s financial planners.
Why Borussia Dortmund want Ethan Nwaneri this summer
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Dortmund’s interest stretches back over a year. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the German club attempted to sign Nwaneri permanently last summer, when Arsenal were negotiating his contract extension. Arsenal ultimately prevailed in that battle, convincing the player to commit rather than move. The situation has now changed: a disappointing loan spell, the title won and a new contract recently signed give Dortmund reason to believe the player’s thinking may have shifted.
Julian Brandt’s departure from Dortmund on a free transfer has created a vacancy in creative midfield that Nwaneri’s profile fills precisely. He operates as an attacking midfielder or on the right flank, contributing creativity and press-triggering intensity in the mould of the technically refined players Dortmund have historically developed into elite performers.
The German club’s track record of signing elite young talent and accelerating their development, then selling at premium fees, is well understood across European football. For Nwaneri, who could not break into Arsenal’s title-winning starting lineup consistently even with Havertz injured, the argument for Dortmund as a stepping stone rather than a destination is a compelling one.
What Arsenal have decided about Nwaneri’s future
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Romano has been careful to distinguish between external reporting and actual internal decisions. He confirmed Arsenal have not communicated any desire to sell with Nwaneri or his representatives, and no formal conversations about his future have taken place yet. BBC Sport reported that Arsenal are ready to cash in on both Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly this summer, a claim Romano did not fully endorse.
The most likely sequence of events is that Arsenal assess the situation once the Champions League final against PSG is concluded, hold conversations with Nwaneri about his vision for next season, and then decide whether integrating him properly into the first-team picture is the right call or whether a permanent sale at a clean profit is the smarter financial and sporting decision. Dortmund are ready to move the moment Arsenal open the door. The question is whether Arteta chooses to open it.
Related Items:Borussia Dortmund, Latest Ethan Nwaneri News | Transfer News | Injury News and Update
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