Arsenal radically change their stance on Hale End graduate | OneFootball

Arsenal are willing to sell Ethan Nwaneri in the summer transfer window, with Chelsea interested in signing the Hale End academy graduate, according to a report.

Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan from Arsenal in the January transfer window and is scheduled to return to the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season.

The attacking midfielder is having a tough time at the French club, with the 19-year-old scoring two goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in all competitions.

When Nwaneri, who can also play as a winger, joined Marseille, Roberto De Zerbi was in charge of the French club.

De Zerbi parted company with Marseille in February 2026 and is now the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Current Marseille manager Habib Beye has not been enamoured by Nwaneri and has criticised him publicly.

In March, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta plans to reintegrate Nwaneri into his squad next season.

Romano on his YouTube channel about Nwaneri: “Yes, for Nwaneri it’s not an easy situation at present obviously because he went to Olympique Marseille with the expectation to work under Roberto De Zerbi, and then De Zerbi decided to leave Marseille.

“So, it’s a completely different situation. Also, the expectation was for Marseille to continue their Champions League campaign, and then they got eliminated in the final minutes of the final game.

“So, it has been different compared to the expectations for Nwaneri. But, at the moment, I can guarantee that Arsenal maintain full confidence in the player.

“So, Arsenal are waiting for him to complete the season at Olympique Marseille for this final 10, 11 games and then come back to the club, come back to Arsenal. They believe in Nwaneri 100%.

“So, the message from Arsenal is still optimistic. In the summer, they will speak to the player to understand what’s the best situation for him, whether it’s staying at Arsenal or maybe going on loan somewhere else.

“So, they will assess all the options with the player. But Arsenal maintain full trust in Ethan.

“Even if they understand it has been an unlucky loan so far at Olympique Marseille, they believe in the player, they trust the player, they trust his potential, and so nothing has changes in terms of long-term plans.”

Romano also revealed Chelsea’s interest in Nwaneri in April.

The Italian journalist said on his YouTube channel: “Now, it is complicated. He is at Marseille on loan, not with an option, so he is not going to stay there next season. He will go back to Arsenal. But what happens in the summer transfer window?

“There have been reports saying Nwaneri could go to Borussia Dortmund, or that he could leave Arsenal permanently.

“But let me be clear. Dortmund wanted Nwaneri on a permanent transfer from Arsenal already one year ago, when Arsenal were negotiating a new contract and eventually managed to agree one. At that time, Chelsea were also very interested, and Dortmund were strongly in the race.

“That interest remains strong now. Several clubs around Europe are attentive to the situation.

“But Arsenal have not told the player or his camp that he can leave in the summer. So that is not the case at the moment. It is still not decided.

“At the end of the season, Arsenal will assess the situation with Nwaneri. Not today. Nothing is clear yet.

“Dortmund are still hoping to do one of their usual deals, with top talents and then potentially sell them later. So, Nwaneri remains on their shortlist, but nothing is decided by Arsenal yet.”

Arsenal open to selling Ethan Nwaneri

It has now emerged that Arsenal are ready to sell Nwaneri, who came through the Hale End academy at the north London club and has made 51 appearances for the first team, scoring 10 goals and giving two assists in the process.

CaughtOffSide has reported interest in Nwaneri from Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and AC Milan.

According to the report, Arsenal had not sent Nwaneri out on loan to Marseille to put him in the shop window, but the Premier League leaders are now open to the idea of offloading him this summer.

‘Arsenal could be tempted to cash in on Nwaneri for around £35-40m’, states the report, which has noted about the ‘surprise transfer U-turn’ by the Gunners in the headline.

The report has quoted a source as saying: “Nwaneri is struggling right now and that means Arsenal are going to have to consider a sale.

“Things can change quickly, but he clearly isn’t progressing as expected, and they’ll feel they can get a decent fee for him.

“Chelsea have tried signing him before. They’re still keeping an eye on how this develops, as are Dortmund, Juventus, and Milan.

“Many top clubs in England and Europe still see him as a fantastic talent, and he might benefit from a fresh start.”

Nwaneri is under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2030.