Arsenal's Nigerian-born midfielder prefers move abroad amid Oxford United interest 

Allnigeriasoccer.com has been told that Nigerian-born midfielder Tim Akinola favours a move abroad amid speculation linking him with an imminent transfer to League One club Oxford United. 

As previously reported by this website, The Yellows are one of the clubs interested in signing the Arsenal youngster in the summer transfer window, having scouted him during Chesterfield's playoff defeat to Notts County at Wembley last month. 

Akinola believes he has the qualities to play for a top-flight club in Europe and wants to test himself outside of English football at this stage of this career, but remaining in England cannot be ruled out entirely. 

He has options in the EFL League One and League Two but the priority is to move him abroad, where he is attracting interest from Romanian, Danish, Israeli and Austrian clubs. 

Akinola is in the last one year of his contract at Arsenal and does not feature in the first-team plans of manager Mikel Arteta, so a permanent transfer would suit all the parties considering the fact that he's not age-eligible to play for Arsenal's development squad in 2023-2024, except he's included as an overage player. 

He made his senior debut during a loan spell at Dundee United in the second half of the 2021-2022 campaign, and totaled 31 appearances in all competitions for Chesterfield last term.

Akinola joined Arsenal in 2020 after spells with Lincoln City and Huddersfield Town. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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