Crystal Palace handed boost in Nketiah pursuit as Bournemouth drop interest

Crystal Palace have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah as Premier League rivals Bournemouth drop out of the race.

According to the Daily Mail, the Cherries are no longer interested in luring Nketiah to the Vitality Stadium as they finalise a move for FC Porto striker Evanilson.

Bournemouth had registered an interest in Nketiah as a possible replacement for Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

However, the South Coast club have turned their attention elsewhere after agreeing a club-record £40 million deal with Portuguese giants Porto to sign Brazilian striker Evanilson.

While Evanilson still needs to complete a medical ahead of joining the Cherries, the club has shut down their interest in Nketiah, paving the way for Crystal Palace to complete a move.

Nketiah is keen to leave Arsenal this summer after falling out of favour.

He came close to joining Olympique Marseille after agreeing personal terms with the Ligue 1 giants, but both clubs couldn’t agree on a suitable transfer fee.

Arsenal value Nketiah at around £27m, but Marseille were reluctant to match their asking price. The impasse forced the French giants to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcement.

The England international managed just five goals in 27 Premier League appearances. Three of those came against relegated Sheffield United during Arsenal’s 5-0 rout in October last year.

Despite struggling for form, consistency, and playing time, Arsenal are determined to recoup a premium fee for their academy graduate.

Nketiah wants to seal a move away from the Emirates Stadium before the end of the transfer window in search of regular playing time.

Bournemouth may have dropped out of the race, but Palace will still face competition from a couple of other Premier League rivals who are showing interest in the 25-year-old striker.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com