Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny could leave the club before the transfer window slams shut, with Galatasaray in pole position to sign the midfielder.
The 27-year-old joined the Gunners from Basel in 2016 and has since managed to rack up 44 Premier League appearances in total for the club, but only eight of those were registered last season.
The Egyptian fell out of favour with head coach Unai Emery and he now looks set to follow Laurent Koscielny out of Emirates Stadium, who completed a move to Bordeaux on Tuesday.
According to Futbol Arena, Galatasaray officials have arrived in London to finalise a deal for Elneny, with a transfer agreement between the two clubs now close.
The Arsenal star has also been linked with Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Besiktas, but it appears that the duo have now been beaten to his signature by their domestic rivals.
Emery has little use for Elneny going forward, which is why this particular deal is in the best interests of both parties ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.
The Egypt international will surely be granted regular playing time at Galatasaray, which will give him the opportunity to restore his confidence and reputation at a major European club.
Arsenal, meanwhile, continue to clear out some deadwood after a busy summer of transfer dealings which has seen the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Dani Ceballos and William Saliba seal moves to the Emirates.
Koscielny refused to join the squad on a pre-season tour of the United States and his nine-year stay in north London was thusly brought to an acrimonious end, while Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner have also left the club after running down their respective contracts.
Elneny’s exit has not yet been confirmed, but Arsenal have until 5 pm on Thursday to negotiate a deal with Galatasaray before they start looking ahead to a season opener against Newcastle.
