David Ornstein reports in The Athletic (£) that Marseille are working on a deal to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal.
The Ukraine international has fallen out of favour, and didn’t even make the bench for our opening two Premier League games. Last season he made just five starts in the league, and played just 789 competitive minutes across all competitions.
With Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly ahead of him in the pecking order, and with the potential arrival of Piero Hincapie limiting his chances even further, a move away is one that makes sense for all concerned.
However, having signed from Man City on a substantial wage, there’s some negotiating to be completed before a full agreement can be found, but talks remain ongoing.
Earlier in the summer, the 28 year old added a chapter to his book in which he outlined how difficult he found it going from one of Mikel Arteta’s trusted lieutenants to someone on the fringes of the first team.
“A player who doesn’t play is nothing,” he wrote. “It’s one thing when your body lets you down. That can happen. But going from one of the established players of the side to unused sub is much harder to deal with.
“The sense of rejection you feel if your manager no longer believes in you can take the stuffing out of you, even if you’re the most resilient guy on the planet.”
Zinchenko made 91 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 3 goals and providing 5 assists, and it’s fair to point out that in that first title challenging season, he really did have a positive impact before injuries, a common theme throughout his career, and some less impressive form, halted that trajectory.
With Jakub Kiwior on the verge of a move to Porto, the final few days of the transfer window could be busy as Arsenal look to move on the likes of Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Albert Sambi Lokonga.