Arsenal star terminates contract two years early and can now complete free transfer

Arsenal and Reiss Nelson have made the decision to terminate his contract by mutual consent, more than two years since his last appearance for the Gunners

Reiss Nelson has agreed to TERMINATE his Arsenal contract by mutual consent.

The 26-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Brentford, returned to the Gunners for pre-season earlier this summer and featured in their first two friendlies against Girona and Real Betis. However, Nelson hasn't been involved since and it has now been agreed that he can leave the club as a free agent.

According to The Athletic, Nelson's Arsenal contract is expected to be terminated by mutual consent.

Nelson was into the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, though it included an option to extend until the end of the 2027/28 season. While Arsenal are now poised to miss out on a transfer fee for Nelson, they save a significant amount on the wage bill and allow the player to find regular football.

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Born in 1999, Nelson joined Arsenal's infamous Hale End academy at the age of eight and progressed through the ranks before making his first-team debut as a substitute in the 2017 Community Shield against Chelsea.

He went on to make 16 appearances across his debut season in the Arsenal senior set-up - with the majority coming in the cup and Europa League - before being shipped out on loan to Hoffenheim in 2018.

Nelson impressed near the start of his Hoffenheim career, scoring six times in his first seven matches. However, following an injury in January 2019, he struggled to make an impact near the end of the season.

After spending time on loan in Germany, Nelson was brought back into the fold at Arsenal but was unable establish a regular spot in the starting XI. He did, however, score his first Premier League goal in a home win against Liverpool when football resumed in July 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic.

He continued to find regular game time difficult to come by and subsequently joined Dutch side Feyenoord for the 2021/22 season. Nelson made occasional appearances for the Gunners in 2022/23 and 2023/24 before expressing his desire to explore his options for a potential transfer.

The former England Under 21s international ended up joining Fulham on loan, though his season was ended prematurely in December 2024 following a hamstring injury.

Nelson then signed for Brentford on loan last summer but only made 13 appearances in all competitions for the west London side. He started just three matches, which came in the cup competitions, with injuries and illness forcing him to miss 10 games.

West Ham, Benfica, Marseille and Valencia are among those who have been linked with a move for Nelson this summer, and now he is a free agent it could make a deal easier to complete.