ARSENAL have made a formal approach to Chelsea in a bid to sign Noni Madueke.
As revealed by SunSport this week, the England winger has already agreed personal terms with the Gunners.
But now according to BBC Sport, the two rivalling London clubs are officially in talks over the deal.
And Chelsea are believed to value the 23-year-old at £50million.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is a big fan of Madueke due to his versatility – able to play on either the right or left wing.
The Spaniard is desperate to land someone as cover for Bukayo Saka – who spent a large part of last season out injured.
And relations with Chelsea are good after Arsenal already spent £5million on backup keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer.
Madueke, a seven-cap England international, joined Chelsea in January 2023 in a £28.5m deal from PSV Eindhoven.
He has since gone on to score 20 goals in 91 outings at Stamford Bridge.
Last season, Madueke finished as Chelsea’s third-top scorer behind Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson with seven Premier League goals.
He is currently in America on Club World Cup duty – helping Enzo Maresca’s side reach the final – against either PSG or Real Madrid.
Already, the Blues have profited around £80MILLION from the expanded 32-team tournament.
And it comes after adding striker Liam Delap, forward Joao Pedro and winger Jamie Gittens to their squad.
Reinforcements – especially in attack – have not been ruled out while Chelsea are braced to welcome 18-year-old Estevao Willian into their squad next season.
It leaves Madueke’s future uncertain with a move away looming – which Maresca hinted at earlier in the Club World Cup.
He said after the quarter-final: “Noni has been very important for us during this season. Today, again, he has been important.
“But my message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us.
“The ones that are not happy, they are free to go. It’s not for Noni, it’s for all the players we have.
“But again, Noni has been very good during the season and very good tonight.”
Arsenal meanwhile are also linked with moves from Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze and Real Madrid winger Rodrygo.
Their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres also rumbles on with the Gunners still £4.3m away from the £68.9m asking price.
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