Borussia Dortmund want to sign £50m Arsenal star on loan before deadline
Borussia Dortmund are exploring a loan move for Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri following a knee injury sustained by Giannis Konstantelias, according to Sky Germany journalist Patrick Berger.
Konstantelias signed for the German heavyweights from PAOK earlier this summer. He made a good impression in his first two appearances, scoring on his Bundesliga debut against Hamburg.
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in the same game, which will now sideline him for several months. There is no exact return date for the Greek.
Dortmund held an interest in landing Nwaneri on a permanent transfer last summer, and they are now exploring a season-long loan deal before the transfer deadline on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal could loan out Nwaneri
The Gunners have recently sanctioned the sales of Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus to Al-Hilal and Barcelona respectively, while Fabio Vieira is poised to rejoin Hamburg on a permanent deal.
Alongside the trio, Nwaneri was completely left out of the matchday squad for the Community Shield game this month. He was back in the mix for the Premier League opener against Coventry City due to Bruno Guimaraes’ minor groin injury.
Arsenal have since added Ezri Konsa to the squad and one would expect the English defender to make the team. Hence, Nwaneri looks out of contention to make the matchday squads in the league and his situation may not improve, barring an injury.
At the moment, manager Mikel Arteta sees Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze ahead of him in the pecking order for the number 10 role, while Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman are preferred on the right side of the Gunners’ attack.
Against Coventry, we saw Eze feature as a substitute on the left wing, replacing Christos Tzolis. There is still a possibility that Arsenal could pursue another left-sided attacker before the window closes.
The Gunners valued Nwaneri at £50 million last month when there was talk about a possible sale, but the club have since changed their stance. The hierarchy favour a loan exit unless a significant offer arrives.
In our view, Nwaneri is at a stage of his career where he needs regular first-team football at the highest level to develop, and a season-long loan with Dortmund would benefit him greatly this campaign.
Arteta has personally acknowledged that the club must do what is best for the player. Hence, we won’t be surprised if Nwaneri moves on a temporary basis to the Bundesliga before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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