European club leapfrog Stevenage in race to sign Arsenal's Nigerian-born midfielder

After bolstering their attack with the signing of Super Eagles striker Aaron Samuel Olanare, European outfit Neftchi Baku are in advanced talks to sign another Nigerian-born player in Arsenal midfielder Tim Akinola, allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report.

The nine-time Azerbaijani champions have reached a club-to-club agreement with Arsenal over the transfer of the 2022 Nigeria's Olympic National Team invitee. 

Akinola has just one year left on his contract with Arsenal, whom he joined in 2020 following his departure from Huddersfield Town. 

The Gunners are planning to allow him leave for nothing but will insert a sell-on clause into any deal taking him away from the Emirates Stadium. 

There's still a few details to be ironed out between Akinola and Neftchi Baku before he can travel to Azerbaijan, and one of them has to do with the player agreeing on personal terms. 

A number of English Football League clubs explored the possibility of signing the Nigerian and the most concrete interest came from League One club Stevenage, but his priority was to join a European top-flight club. 

Akinola has not played much for Arsenal's development squad over the last nineteen months as he was farmed out on loan to Dundee United in the second half of the 2021-2022 campaign and spent the whole of last season at Chesterfield.  

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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