Mohamed Elneny is set to leave Arsenal and join Turkish side Galatasaray after being deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates.
Arsenal might be in for a busy end to the transfer window as the club could be involved in some deals between now and Thursday. According to Italian journalist Emanuele Giulianelli, Mohamed Elneny could depart the Emirates for a stint in Turkey with Galatasaray in the coming days.
Elneny was thought to be put up for sale by Arsenal after manager Unai Emery had deemed him surplus to requirements from his midfield options. Elneny was sparingly used last season by the Spaniard, making only 8 appearances in the Premier League. The midfielder has no shortage of suitors, however. It is still unclear as to how much Arsenal are demanding for him.
Elneny from Arsenal is joining Galatasaray. #TransferNews
— Emanuele Giulianelli (@EmaGiulianelli) August 7, 2019
As things stand, Galatasaray are set to sign him imminently and ideally they have agreed to terms with Arsenal and the player. The increasing competition for places at Arsenal has led to Elneny’s downfall. Before last season he was still used with regularity, but the signings of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzzi last summer meant he was sent tumbling down the pecking order.
This summer Arsenal have brought in Dani Ceballos on loan, sending the message to Elneny and his camp to look for a club before the transfer window shuts. While the English window closes on Thursday, there is still time before the deadline in the rest of Europe. So, there is no hurry to make a deal happen as it can stretch beyond the Premier League deadline.
Apart from Galatasaray, there was interest in Elneny from elsewhere earlier. West Ham United were thought to be in the hunt and ready to pay what Arsenal were demanding for the midfielder. Fellow Turkish side Besiktas were also linked, although they never followed up on their interest Egyptian.
Arsenal have already seen several departures up until this point. Laurent Koscielny’s move to Bordeaux was the latest of the exits, while goalkeeper David Ospina and Krystian Bielik departed before that.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are still in the market for a central defender and have been recently linked with RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano. The funds generated from Elneny’s sale could undoubtedly help increase Arsenal’s budget for a central defender before the window shuts.
Elneny will look back at his time at Arsenal as mildly successful. One great moment was his first-ever goal for Arsenal, a stunner at Camp Nou against Barcelona. He might be able to flourish in Turkey with Super Lig champions Galatasaray and could play a key role in their Champions League campaign this season, although it remains to be seen if the deal sees the light of the day.