Arsenal to Profit From Benik Afobe's Bournemouth Transfer

Arsenal are set to cash in on Benik Afobe's transfer to Bournemouth after a sell-on clause inserted in his contract when he left the Gunners was revealed.

The 22-year-old was sent out on six loan spells in five years at Arsenal, with the England youngster spending time with Huddersfield Town, Reading, Bolton Wanderers, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons and wasn't able to nail down a starting place in Arsene Wenger's first-team. 

However, Afobe has scored 10 goals in 27 appearances for Championship side Wolves this season and is an exciting addition to Bournemouth. 

The Cherries confirmed the £10m signing on Sunday and it’s expected that Arsenal will make in upwards of £1.8m after inserting a sell-on clause in the deal which saw him leave Emirates Stadium last year.

“We are absolutely delighted to secure the signature of another undoubted talent in Benik Afobe,” said Cherries chief executive Neill Blake.

“It has been difficult to miss Benik’s outstanding progress as a player, firstly with MK Dons and then Wolves, where he has been a consistent threat in front of goal. His pedigree as an Arsenal Academy product must also not be underestimated. 

“Thank you to Jez Moxey and Wolverhampton Wanderers who have been a pleasure to deal with throughout negotiations. We look forward to seeing Benik in an AFC Bournemouth shirt soon."

Manager Eddie Howe had confirmed a deal was in place after Bournemouth's victory over Birmingham in the FA Cup third-round on Saturday. 

“A deal has been agreed. At this stage there are hurdles to overcome, he will have a medical and we hope to get the deal done in time for Tuesday. He will bring pace, strength, goals and he’s a good technical player as well. He has the whole package. We’re very excited to see him in a Bournemouth shirt," he said.

He said: “I felt we needed a striker. Callum we lost and that was a huge blow to us and we have lost Josh King with hamstring problems. It has left us very light and we need firepower. We need players who can come in and do the job.

“The players we have here proved they can do a job - Murray came off the bench and scored and it was good to see Lee Tomlin score. But we are light on the ground and hopefully he [Afobe] will add competition for places and real quality in the position.”