Matteo Guendouzi's time as an Arsenal player finally looks to be over as the midfielder agrees to sign for Marseille permanently.
The 22-year-old is currently with the French club on a season-long loan deal, where he has been in impressive form, and it now looks like he will be at the Orange Velodrome for the foreseeable future.
Guendouzi's contract at Arsenal was due to expire at the end of next season. Now, though, Marseille president Pablo Longoria confirmed on an RMC Sport show, via the Mirror, that the French midfielder has met clauses in his loan deal that will see him sign a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 outfit.
The Frenchman has not played for Arsenal since being involved in an incident with Neal Maupay at Brighton & Hove Albion towards the end of the 2019/20 season.
It led to some reported friction between Guendouzi and manager Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Guendouzi seems to be really admired at Marseille, with manager Jorge Sampaoli recently describing the Arsenal loanee as a "natural leader".
Sampaoli said, via GFFN: "Aside from his youth, Matteo has a particular energy. He has a desire to win and he is a natural leader.
"We imagined that would be the case but that it would happen over time. Seeing this in addition to his performances, we have an energy that everyone can envy.
"It is contagious and it is a very important value in life. Experience is important for everyone but, for young people, sometimes difficult events are not good experiences.
"There is also personal capacity on the mental side. Guendouzi, for example, he is a 22-year-old but he acts like he is 30. The most important thing is maturity."
For Arsenal, this deal being confirmed does not make too much of a difference, with Arteta already eyeing a new midfielder in the summer transfer window, but the financial implications will certainly help the Gunners.
The north London club tried to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus over the January transfer window, but they were unable to agree a deal with the Italian outfit, who wanted to sign a replacement before sanctioning a move for the Brazilian.
football.london understands that Youri Tielemans is a target for Arsenal and the Belgian midfielder could be looked at in the summer transfer window, where he will have 12 months remaining on his contract with Leicester City.
Ruben Neves continues to be linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as well, with the Wolves midfielder impressing at Molineux this season.
