Fulham are close to reaching an agreement with Arsenal for the signing of midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, according to The Athletic reporter David Ornstein.
With the Gunners continuously strengthening their squad as they hunt to win the Premier League title, some of their fringe players are likely to be sold to help fund their transfer window. Smith Rowe has struggled for game time in recent years, and it could be time for him to move on and seek a new challenge.
The 23-year-old has shown glimpses of immense talent since coming through the Arsenal academy, but his career has stagnated of late.
The Athletic journalist Ornstein provided a late-night Arsenal update, confirming that Fulham are close to reaching an agreement to sign Smith Rowe for a fee which could total £35m. A sale for this figure would be a joint-record departure for the Gunners, while it would also be the largest sum Fulham have forked out for a new signing…
Although Arsenal supporters will be disappointed to see Smith Rowe move on after he came through the academy, the 23-year-old only played 475 minutes in all competitions last season, so offloading for a reasonable fee makes sense for all parties.
Arsenal are currently in America on their pre-season tournament, playing against Bournemouth in a friendly overnight, where the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw. Arteta spoke after the game, explaining why Smith Rowe wasn’t involved…
“Yeah there are things happening in the background at the moment. We decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today.”
Selling an academy product will represent pure profit on the books for profit and sustainability purposes, so it was always going to be difficult for Arsenal to reject a hefty bid for a player who has struggled to make an impact at the
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Emirates.
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