Arsenal transfers: West Ham rattled, with Leicester confident of hijacking Gunners star deal. Reiss Nelson, Leicester, West Ham. Leicester are confident of beating West Ham to the signing of Reiss Nelson
Arsenal man Reiss Nelson reportedly looks to be on the path to Leicester City, despite agreeing to join West Ham, who were very keen on him.
The Gunners’ upwards trajectory at the moment means some players are being left behind. Emile Smith Rowe is a prime example, having starred in his first proper season (2021/22), but fallen way down the pecking order after injuries beyond then.
He hardly got a sniff last season, with talented attackers Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard being preferred.
Nelson, who operates in a similar position, has also failed to secure a place, and asked to be able to move on this summer.
It looked likely that his destination would be West Ham, as the winger agreed to join them, despite interest from Crystal Palace.
TEAMtalk sources have maintained that the Hammers are very keen to get a deal for Nelson over the line. But that has now hit a massive snag, with a Premier League rival bursting into the race.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Leicester have now opened talks with Arsenal over the signing.
Leicester, Nelson talks progressing
Indeed, he states the Foxes have approached last season’s second-placed Premier League side with a loan deal, including an obligation to buy Nelson that summer. The exact finances of the deal are being worked out.
Leicester are said to be confident that they can persuade Nelson to join if club-to-club terms are agreed.
That’s because of his prior relationship with manager Steve Cooper. That hijack will be a blow to West Ham, who were themselves very hopeful of being able to field Nelson next term. Nelson would be one of a number of experienced Premier League players at Leicester if he was to join.
There are a number of players, such as James Justin, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfried Ndidi, that played for the Foxes in the top flight prior to their relegation to the second tier.
Then, players such as Harry Winks, who signed in the Championship after a huge amount of Premier League experience, can help the group to stay afloat.
Nelson is in the same group as Winks, so the Foxes will be eager to get him in and allow him to be a star player, a chance he did not get with the talent at Arsenal.
