Arsenal set for big transfer windfall as Guendouzi sell-on clause details emerge

11 January 2023 , 19:20

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Former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is reportedly on his way back to the Premier League and could earn his old side some money in the process.

The France international saw his Gunners career get off to a bright start back in 2018 under Unai Emery, but things soon soured once Mikel Arteta took over with the pair failing to see eye-to-eye and Guendouzi was eventually ushered out of the Emirates exit and joined Marseille on a permanent basis.

However, things are no longer going swimmingly in the south of France either and Gunedouzi is reportedly on the verge of calling time on his stay at the Stade Velodrome to reunite with the man who first brought him to England.

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Arsenal could benefit from a sell-on clause inserted into Matteo Guendouzi's Marseille contract

Emery's Aston Villa are thought to be keen on securing Guendouzi's signature, though given he only joined Marseille on a permanent basis in the summer of 2022, he is not going to come cheap.

It has been reported that the Ligue 1 side value the midfielder at €40million (£35m), which is welcome news from Arsenal's perspective as they were shrewd enough to insert a sell-on clause in Guendouzi's Marseille deal which looks set to already come in handy.

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The Gunners will take a percentage, which could be as high as 15 per cent, of their former player's transfer fee should he leave Marseille to return to the Premier League.

Unai Emery and Matteo Guendouzi enjoyed a good working relationship

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From Villa's perspective, Emery clearly values Guendouzi so highly regardless of lingering question marks over the midfielder's attitude.

While at the helm of Villareal, Emery tried to sign his former Gunners star but a deal failed to materialise due to how highly ex-Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli thought of Guendouzi.

The Argentine once claimed that the Villa transfer target was well "on his way to becoming one of the best midfielders in the world."

The 23-year-old actually opened up on his relationship with the current Arsenal boss in a recent interview, where he admitted: "It's true that I didn't have the best relationship with him. Beyond that, I always tried to work, and always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches.

"I still play a few matches with him, I still did great performances. He preferred other players and I respect that decision.

"That's why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important when you're young is to play."

Arteta has kept his cards close to his chest when it comes to where it all went wrong for Guendouzi at Arsenal, though some feel the player's conduct against Brighton at the beginning of 'Project Restart' was the final straw.

Josh O'Brien

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