Olympique Marseille are considering a move for Mohamed Elneny before the end of the European transfer window, after seeing him benched for Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City.

According to the Mirror, Marseille are hoping Elneny will be available given the increased competition for places in midfield. With just three spots available, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all hoping for starts.

Even Mesut Özil might end up in the middle, after playing much of the second half against Manchester City in a more central position. Then there are academy prospects like Emile Smith Rowe who would happily snap up any League Cup or Europa League opportunities.

As a result, the Mirror write in their headline that Elneny is ‘planning [his] Arsenal exit’.

There’s no real rush to move the Egyptian international on. Arsenal can’t spend again until January either way, and the 26-year-old signed a new contract to 2022 in March. For once, the club should be in a strong negotiating position, and can hold out for a good price.

If Marseille aren’t willing to offer a decent fee, Arsenal can happily hold onto Elneny. With the club’s injury record as it is, he might end up as a starter soon anyway.