Arsenal loan fee details emerge as Roberto De Zerbi makes Ethan Nwaneri debut claim

Arsenal attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri arrived in Marseille on Wednesday afternoon ahead of sealing his season-long loan switch

Roberto De Zerbi has declared there is a chance Ethan Nwaneri will be thrown straight in for Marseille's crunch Ligue 1 title showdown against Lens on Saturday.

The Arsenal and England U21 international arrived in France yesterday to complete the formalities ahead of his season-long loan switch.

When quizzed on the arrivals of Feyenoord midfielder Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal defender Jurrien, and Nwaneri, De Zerbi said following the 3-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool : "Timber and Nwaneri? I'm absolutely delighted they've signed for OM; they could even play as soon as Saturday. They're two quality players, with experience for Timber and talent for Nwaneri."

Marseille's home fixture against Ligue 1 leaders Lens this weekend is considered must-win. De Zerbi's side currently sit third in the standings and they're already eight points adrift of Lens, who are also one point clear of holders Paris Saint-Germain.

The French giants are paying an initial £1.3million (€1.5m) loan fee for Nwaneri and the final figure will be dictated by how many minutes he plays at the Stade Velodrome.

The deal could potentially be worth up to £3.5m (€4m) and effectively contains a penalty clause which means the more Nwaneri plays, the less Marseille pay.

Intriguingly, Marseille sporting director Medhi Benatia, who was once linked with Arsenal during his playing days, appears to have indicated Nwaneri is viewed as right-wing cover for Mason Greenwood.

Benatia told Canal+: "These are players we were fortunate enough to develop thanks to our coach.

"In France, we sometimes like to tease him a bit, but he's a highly respected coach who plays attractive football. Nwaneri? He was the only position where we weren't covered by Mason."

Arsenal were insistent that there would be no buy-option included within any potential loan agreement for Nwaneri.

Additionally, they did not deem a loan essential this month as the Gunners remain in four competitions and will therefore need to call upon the depth of their squad.

The 18-year-old attracted loan interest from a number of clubs with West Ham, Crystal Palace, Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth among those who have missed out.

Nwaneri desperately needs minutes and regular playing time and there's hope he will receive just that at the Stade Velodrome following dialogue between Mikel Arteta and De Zerbi.