Arsenal in 'advanced talks' over Ethan Nwaneri transfer

Updated: 4 Aug 2026 16:22 BST | 4 min read

Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Ethan Nwaneri is facing an uncertain future at Arsenal, and "advanced talks" over a potential transfer are already in full swing.

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The 19-year-old is coming off a hugely challenging season. Nwaneri struggled for minutes in the first half of the campaign, which prompted Arsenal to send him on loan to Marseille.

The main attraction was the opportunity to work with Roberto de Zerbi, but the combustible Italian quit his job just a few weeks after the arrival of Nwaneri, leaving the youngster scrambling for playing time under Habib Beye.

Current ETV

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Arsenal

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€35M - €42.8M

The England youth international was harshly criticised by the new coach and the French press for his perceived "nonchalance." He ended up playing just over 400 minutes for the Ligue 1 giants.

Now back at Arsenal, Nwaneri is in limbo. Despite still being incredibly highly rated - he remains the Gunners' youngest-ever debutant - it is believed that he could be on the way out again, potentially permanently this time.

Leipzig in advanced Nwaneri talks

Nwaneri was already linked with a potential departure last year, following enquiries from Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund. He still has Premier League admirers, but a move to the continent appears to be more realistic at this stage.

There have been recent links with AC Milan. However, Carlo Pellegatti, who is thought to be generally reliable for Rossoneri transfer news, understands that the Serie A outfit could miss out on the 19-year-old.

According to the Italian journalist, there has been contact from Milan regarding Nwaneri, but it is actually RB Leipzig who are in "advanced talks" with Arsenal over a potential deal.

Pellegatti claims that Leipzig are ready to pay around €35-40 million for Nwaneri, whereas Milan would first need to offload Rafael Leao in order to be able to fund such a deal. At present, however, they are struggling to find takers for the Portugal international.

Well aware of Nwaneri's potential, Arsenal could try to keep control of his future by inserting a buy-back clause in the deal that would allow them to re-sign him for €55-60m in a year or two.

Leipzig are expected to have money to spend, with an agreement for Yan Diomande to move to Real Madrid thought to be imminent. Despite this, they will not go around splashing the cash.

Last week, Sky Germany revealed that Leipzig have made the decision not to spend more than €45m on individual players this summer, which means that the signing of Nwaneri at €35-40m could be feasible for the Bundesliga side.

The fact that Nwaneri is capable of playing on the right wing could mean that he is seen as a potential replacement for Diomande. Indeed, according to data analytics firm SciSports, Nwaneri would be a better fit for Leipzig as a right-winger rather than as a 10.

That said, there are a lot of moving parts right now, following Leipzig's shocking decision to sack Ole Werner and appoint Martin Demichelis. It is not clear yet how exactly the Red Bulls will play this season.

The signing of a supremely talented player like Nwaneri looks to be a no-brainer, though.