Arsenal have perfect Noni Madueke welcome gift as Andrea Berta gets Chelsea transfer breakthrough

Arsenal have the perfect welcoming gift for Noni Madueke. The Chelsea winger has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this week as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options.

football.london understands that Arsenal have agreed to sign Madueke from the Blues for £52 million, including add-ons. The 23-year-old, who has five-years remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge, must now undergo a medical before the relevant documents are signed and exchanged.

As it stands, Madueke remains part of Chelsea's squad at the Club World Cup. The England international featured off the bench in a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday night as the west Londoners booked a place in the final.

While Chelsea gear up for a difficult clash against Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Arteta will be working hard to ensure that Madueke is given a warm welcome.

Fortunately for Madueke, who earned his stripes in the Tottenham Hotspur academy, he could become a fan favourite overnight. He has the pick of two historic shirt numbers: 10, previously worn by the likes of Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Paul Merson, or 14, famously donned by Thierry Henry.

Madueke was initially given the number 31 when Chelsea signed him from PSV Eindhoven for £29m in January 2023. But, he eventually inherited the number 11 to signify his greater role and responsibility in the squad.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite have the desired impact, with Madueke often struggling to establish any consistency. Last season, the winger featured 32 times in the Premier League, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.

Madueke enjoyed flashes of promise, with a hat-trick against Wolves and a bright spell in December, but he couldn't quite take the next step in his development. Speaking to reporters last week, the Chelsea boss provided an update on Madueke's future.

"Noni has been very important for us during this season," said Maresca "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."

Then, ahead of the Fluminense clash, Maresca added: "We had the same noise before Palmeiras, but we gave Noni half an hour, and he was very good. I don’t have any doubt that if we need Noni, he’s going to help us.

"At the same time I understand that, as a human being, when there is noise around you it's not easy to deal with that, but hopefully he can..."

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