Eddie Nketiah has reportedly entered talks with Bayer Leverkusen ahead of potentially signing a pre-contract deal to join them in the summer.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with the match ball following their side's victory in the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on December 21, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 21: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with the match ball following their side’s victory in the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on December 21, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Eddie Nketiah is out of contract in the summer and, despite offers from Arsenal, the forward would like to move on to get more minutes.

As such, he is now free to agree a pre-contract with a foreign club that would see him move for basically nothing when his current Arsenal contract expires at the end of June.

Arsenal would still receive a small training fee for him, so he won’t technically cost ‘nothing’.

Just before Christmas, it was also reported that three Premier League clubs were interested in signing Nketiah, whom Arsenal picked up from Chelsea as a 16-year-old when they released him for being too short.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Cedric Soares after scoring their side's second goal during the Carabao Cup Round of 16 match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on October 26, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Cedric Soares after scoring their side’s second goal during the Carabao Cup Round of 16 match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on October 26, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The 22-year-old has 18 goals in 71 appearances, but that stats is very deceptive.

Nketiah has only played 2,821 minutes, which means he finds the back of the net every 157 minutes.

Not bad when you consider the bit-part role he plays.

Only 29 of those 71 appearances have been starts and he’s played the full 90 just 10 times.

Nketiah missed out on Arsenal’s squad for the game against Manchester City on New Year’s Day after becoming the latest Arsenal player to pick up covid.

He should be back in the squad for the FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest.