Reiss Nelson

Nelson to West Ham: a permanent deal taking shape around £3m, no agreement signed off

Nelson is entering the final year of his contract after a failed loan at Brentford (14 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, purchase option not taken up). Arsenal are open to a permanent exit. Two trails coexist. West Ham is the more advanced: the two clubs are talking, and the deal is trending towards a permanent transfer rather than a loan — Dharmesh Sheth (Sky Sports News) reported the Hammers' initial preference for a loan, while James McNicholas (The Athletic) notes the player has not yet given his approval. Marseille, for their part, did submit an offer, which Arsenal turned down for falling short of their valuation (Foot Mercato). Crystal Palace, Brighton and Brentford were also mentioned earlier in the window.

Latest development

**UPDATE 17/08 — a figure, and a U-turn.** The file now has a number: the English press puts a permanent move at around **£3m**, which says plenty about the residual value of a player one year from the end of his contract with two unconvincing loans behind him. In between, West Ham pulled back — concerns over Nelson's injury record briefly froze the talks — before reviving them almost immediately, this time on the basis of a permanent transfer rather than a loan, which is what Arsenal had wanted all along. What is established: the two clubs are talking, the structure leans permanent, and £3m is circulating as the ballpark. What is not: neither Ornstein, Romano, Sky nor the BBC has signed off on an agreement, and James McNicholas noted on 12 August that the player had yet to give his approval. The row stays at talks — a deal called '90% done' by a supporters' site is not an agreement. **New entry, opened on 16/08.** It fills a gap in our tracker: the file had been live since 10 August without appearing in the table. What is established: Arsenal and West Ham are in talks (Sky Sports News, The Athletic), the structure is leaning towards a permanent transfer, and Arsenal turned down Marseille's offer (Foot Mercato, relayed by ESPN and Get French Football News). What is not: the fee, the player's approval — McNicholas says he has not signed off yet — and the timing. No agreement between clubs has been announced at this stage.