Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah still wants to leave the club despite his recent hat-trick against Sunderland, according to reports.
The academy graduate scored three times in Tuesday's 5-1 thrashing of League One opposition in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
That was only the striker's third start of the season, and none of those have come in the Premier League.
Nketiah has made just three substitute appearances in the top flight this term, totalling 38 minutes.
That lack of game time has led him to consider his future, and the Daily Mail reports that Nketiah is still keen to depart the Emirates Stadium despite his performance against Sunderland.
Arsenal want to keep hold of the 22-year-old and have tried to convince him to sign a new deal.
His current contract expires next summer and Nketiah wants to leave his options open.
West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brighton are among the clubs hoping to take advantage of the striker's contractual situation.
Arsenal could receive offers for the former Leeds loanee next month, and the board might prefer to accept a bid in January rather than risk losing Nketiah for free at the end of the season.
Clubs in Germany and France are also said to be keeping tabs on the situation.
They would be able to open direct talks with Nketiah from January 1 with a view to signing him as a free agent in the summer.
If the striker does leave next month, Arsenal could be short of options up top with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang currently sidelined after a disciplinary breach.
"We are trying really hard to do the best that we can. The contract has an expiry date and you cannot control that," Mikel Arteta said of Nketiah this week.
"We have had discussions with Eddie for a long time. He is a player we admire and want to keep. We will continue to do our best to keep him because we want him to be part of our project."
Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and save over a third on standard price.
NOW READ...
FEATURE Revealed! The perfect Christmas film to watch for fans of all 20 Premier League clubs
PREMIER LEAGUE Live streams: How to watch every game from anywhere in the world
LATEST MAG 2021 Awards! Jorginho, Rice, Brereton Diaz, Hayes, Evra exclusives + Messi, Lewandowski, Saint & Greavsie + EXCLUSIVE 2022 calendar
