Arsenal have rejected Nottingham Forest’s £25 million bid for striker Eddie Nketiah.
The 25-year-old has been put available for purchase after falling down the pecking order behind Mikel Arteta.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are chosen over the one-cap England international at the Emirates.
Nketiah, who is contracted to Arsenal until 2027, was an unused substitute in the club’s opening day 2-0 victory over Wolves.
His future has been unknown all summer, with Arsenal turning down repeated approaches from French heavyweights Marseille for his services.
Last month, Roberto De Zerbi’s side had a £17 million offer rejected, followed by a £23 million deal.
Bournemouth were thought to be interested in the forward to replace Dominic Solanke, but they ended up signing Evanilson from Porto instead.
Forest has now tried their luck with Nketiah, making him their priority target.
Despite the rejection of a £25 million offer including add-ons, negotiations between Arsenal and the east Midlands club continue.
Earlier this summer, a source indicated that Arsenal valued the Hale End graduate at a staggering £50 million.
However, they were obliged to lower their demands after receiving no response.
It is reported that the Premier League title contenders are now looking for a fee of around £30 million to £35 million.
Forest have also considered Feyenoord’s Santiago Gomez as a top-tier candidate to compete with Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Woods.
However, Steve Cooper has highlighted Nketiah as their top target.
Nketiah came into Arsenal’s first team under Arsene Wenger in 2017/18.
In 168 games in all competitions, he has found the back of the net on 38 occasions.
However, he has not scored since December 2023, when he drew 1-1 away at PSV in the Champions League.
He is also approaching a year since his last Premier League goal, a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory against Sheffield United in October 2023.
