Arsenal trio John-Jules, Nketiah and Smith Rowe close in on loan moves

Tyreece John-Jules is set to leave Arsenal on loan for the rest of the season.

The 18-year-old striker, who has been on the bench for Mikel Arteta’s side during the recent games against Chelsea and Leeds United, is on the verge of joining League One club Lincoln City.

John-Jules will remain with the Imps for the remainder of the campaign before returning to north London in the summer.

Arsenal have sanctioned the move as they believe the forward is ready to play regular senior football having enjoyed an impressive start to the season with the club’s youth teams.

John-Jules has scored six goals in 13 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign while also providing two assists, adding to the 16 goals he scored across youth levels last season.

The teenager signed a new long-term contract in the summer and has spoken of the influence that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have had on his development.

“I’ve been trying to learn from them on and off the pitch,” he said.

“They've just told me to be positive, to be confident when I'm on the ball, especially with the first team. I've got to show what I can do and keep going. I can learn so much from them.

“It's always been a dream come true to play at this club. As always, I've been working hard, so I think I deserve this new contract. I'm just trying to push on now to impress the manager. I need to keep working hard, playing for the first team and when I get my chance, try to take it as well as possible.”

Arsenal, meanwhile, expect Eddie Nketiah to also leave on loan in the coming days.

The forward, who has returned to north London following a spell with Leeds during the first half of the season, is in talks with Championship clubs Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday.

All three clubs have held negotiations with Arsenal during the past week in a bid to convince the Gunners that Nketiah would be best served spending the rest of the campaign with them.

A decision is anticipated imminently, with Emile Smith Rowe another Arsenal youngster who is expected to leave on a temporary basis in the coming days.

Several clubs, including some in the Premier League, are interested in Smith Rowe, who spent the second half of last season in Germany with RB Leipzig.

The attacking midfielder has made eight senior appearances this season.