- Arsenal have been on hunt for a wide player and appear to have found their man
- Madueke had been training with Chelsea ahead of the Club World Cup final
- LISTEN: Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios slams the ‘disaster’ of AI line judges on the latest episode of the Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast
Arsenal are in line to sign Chelsea and England winger Noni Madueke with a £52million deal close to being completed.
The 23-year-old trained with his Blues team-mates on Thursday morning in New York ahead of their Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain this Sunday.
But it is now extremely unlikely he will be in the squad to face PSG as Madueke is on the verge of a move to Arsenal with an agreement in principle having been struck.
Personal terms over a five-year deal have already been agreed, as reported in this week’s Chelsea Confidential on Mail Sport.
Madueke has been a regular for Chelsea over the last season, including playing the entirety of their Conference League final which they won against Real Betis.
He has also been used at this Club World Cup, though was a substitute rather than a starter in their semi-final win over Fluminense amid apparent concerns from Enzo Maresca that his focus was not entirely on his current side.
Arsenal have agreed on a £52million fee to sign Noni Madueke in the ongoing transfer window
Madueke has been in the Untied States with Chelsea ahead of their Club World Cup final
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has been keen to add depth to his attacking options this summer
Mail Sport reported on Tuesday that a winger has been targeted by Arsenal this summer, with Madueke high on their list.
The Gunners have been looking to bolster their attacking options this transfer window, with a move to sign Victor Gyokeres close – though reportedly at risk of collapsing due to a silence in negotiations.
They had also been on the hunt for a winger – it is understood their preference was a left-sided wide man, but one who can play on either side, like Madueke, was also an option.
The Gunners then approached the player and there were no hurdles in terms of personal terms and the negotiations with Chelsea went smoothly too.
While Madueke is set for the exit, Chelsea have an 18-year-old wonderkid in Estevao Willian arriving from Palmeiras this summer. He played on the right wing against his future employers and scored a spectacular goal in a sign of his potential.
Madueke, meanwhile, is left-footed and prefers to play on the right – a position occupied by Bukayo Saka at Chelsea. He is, though, also capable on the left and has played there recently for the Blues.
Maresca left Madueke out of two matches in 2024-25 for internal reasons, one of those coming when he had performed poorly in training.
He will likely compete with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli for a starting spot in the Arsenal team next season.
Madueke plays on the same side as Bukayo Saka but can also operate on the left flank
Enzo Maresca had said that he ‘wants just players that are happy to be with us’ in his squad
Madueke is now set to leave Stamford Bridge with personal terms around the move not an issue
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had appeared open to Madueke potentially leaving the club when questioned about his future at the Club World Cup on the weekend.
‘Noni has been very important for us. But my message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us,’ Maresca said.
‘The ones that are not happy, they are free to go. Noni has been very good during the season’.
Should Arsenal sign Madueke it would by the second player to join the Gunners this summer from Chelsea, after goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £5m move.
