Arsenal are ready to sell out-on-loan midfielder Mohamed Elneny to loan club Besiktas for just £7million, according to Fanatik.
The Turkish outlet claims that the Gunners are prepared to sell the 77-cap Egyptian international for a minimal fee, despite the Istanbul club’s loan deal having a purchase option of £15million.
Freddie Ljungberg’s side are so desperate to get rid of the 27-year-old that they are more than happy to take a lesser transfer fee than originally agreed.
Elneny has made 11 appearances in all competitions for Besiktas this season, establishing himself as a regular starter recently [Source: Transfermarkt].
Is this the right decision from Arsenal?
This is an interesting one. Elneny’s never quite put it all together in Arsenal red, but there’s no doubt that he’s a decent enough player. With the Granit Xhaka controversy potentially heading towards the Swiss star’s departure, is now the right time to get rid of another central midfielder?
It just doesn’t seem that they fancy the Egyptian in north London. However, he’s shown so far this season that he can do the job for a Europa League level team, which is what Arsenal are at the moment.
Given how well he’s doing in Turkey, why would the Gunners sell him for less than the mandatory purchase clause in his loan contract? Surely they need to hold out for the £15million.
Perhaps they want the money to act immediately in the January transfer market to sign a central midfielder, but this seems like a pointless deal to do at this moment in time.
