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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
David Byrom

Bristol City and Nottingham Forest handed boosts in race for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah with Aston Villa out of running

Aston Villa are not interested in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

The Premier League strugglers have recently been linked with a loan move for the 20-year-old due to a mounting injury crisis up front, but the Telegraph report that Dean Smith is keen to add more experienced attackers to his squad.

With Nketiah having struggled for game time on loan at Leeds United in the first half of the season - triggering a Gunners recall to give their player more senior football - it remains to be seen how the striker would handle regular Premier League football.

It likely means the England under-21 international is heading to the Championship, which is good news for Bristol City - although they still face competition from Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday for his signature.

The Robins have long been admirers of Nketiah, who turned them down in the summer in favour of a move to Leeds.

A decision on his future is expected at some point this week, with the Gunners having come to the conclusion that another loan would be the most beneficial for his development.

On Saturday night, Mikel Arteta reiterated the club’s plans to allow Nketiah to leave on loan even in light of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s three-games suspension for his red card against Crystal Palace.

"At the moment we have to think medium to long term with Eddie," Arteta said. "We have to respect his evolution, his development, and we don't have to make decisions just based on two or three games I think."

Get lots more news, opinion and transfer updates on our Bristol City FC page and add a bookmark to find it quickly next time.

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