Arsenal are willing to let Emile Smith Rowe leave this summer and have set a price for the midfielder amid considerable interest from rival Premier League teams.
Smith Rowe rose from Arsenal’s youth to establish himself as a first-team regular during a spectacular 2021/22 season, with the 23-year-old scoring 10 goals and assisting twice in the Premier League.
However, Smith Rowe has failed to accumulate a regular number of games over the previous two seasons owing to a mix of form, fitness, and tough competition for positions in the middle of the park.
It’s understood Arsenal are now open to offers for Smith Rowe and both Crystal Palace and Fulham have seen opening bids knocked back for the out-of-favour attacking midfielder.
Smith Rowe is resigned to the fact he may have to leave his boyhood team in order to secure regular game-time and is considering his options this summer, with both Palace and Fulham mulling over whether or not to return with improved offers.
According to talkSPORT, Arsenal could be persuaded to part with Smith Rowe should they receive a bid in the region of £25million before the transfer deadline.
The England international, who has been capped three times under Gareth Southgate, is tied into a deal at the Emirates until 2026.
Since breaking into Arsenal’s first-team back in 2018, Smith Rowe has made 115 appearances for the north London giants but has not made a start since the side’s 2-0 victory over Luton back in March.
‘I love him as a player, he is a joy to watch,’ Mikel Arteta said when asked about Smith Rowe’s performance that day.
‘How he moves, changes direction and how physical he was today without the ball. He went into duels and won a lot of them.
‘He was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and make things happen. When Emile is in that moment, it’s very difficult to stop him. Today he helped us a lot to win the game.’
Eddie Nketiah’s future has also been the subject of intense speculation this summer and ex-Arsenal captain Tony Adams believes both players should strongly consider summer moves to get their stuttering careers back on track.
‘If I have one criticism is he [Arteta] has not used them enough,’ Adams told Sky Sports last month.
‘Bukayo Saka, you hardly ever see him come off, it’s 90 minutes after 90 minutes after 90 minutes.
‘When you have the games won, it’s 2-0 after 70 minutes, get him off. Get Smith Rowe on to develop him. I think they have gone a bit stagnant.
‘Both, if I was them, I would be looking to move. Arteta needs to work with them and give them more time. But that depends if we get another centre forward.
‘But I do think he needs to rotate Saka more than he’s doing.’