Arsenal are close to selling midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham for £35 million, with former Tottenham Hotspur winger Ryan Sessegnon also heading back to Craven Cottage.
Smith Rowe was left out of Arsenal’s latest pre-season friendly against Bournemouth, a 1-1 draw in California.
Negotiations between Arsenal and Fulham are continuing, but there was a breakthrough in talks after a previous bid of £30 million was increased.
Should the deal proceed as anticipated, Smith Rowe will become Fulham’s club record signing, surpassing the £27 million it cost to sign Jean Michael Seri in 2018.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Smith Rowe was left out of the warm-up match because of the ongoing talks, although he did not reference his likely next club.
‘Best to keep him away from game’
“There are things happening in the background at the moment and we decided the best thing to do was keep him away from the game,” said Arteta.
The 23-year-old’s transfer would end a frustrating period in his career which has been undermined by injury. Smith Rowe was touted as a future Arsenal and England star when he broke into the side, but as he has struggled with fitness the team has evolved without him and his starting opportunities have become limited.
Last season he played just 346 Premier League minutes. A relaunch at a new club might enable him to find the consistency and match fitness which propelled him to senior England international duty three years ago.
Fulham are one of many Premier League clubs who have expressed an interest – Crystal Palace among them.
A deal for Smith Rowe would continue a proactive few days for Marco Silva as his club is close to re-signing their former youth player Sessegnon, another one who was also pursued by Palace.
Sessegnon, 24, is a free agent following the end of his contract with Tottenham Hotspur. Once one of the most highly rated teenagers in the country, Fulham sold him to Spurs for £25 million in 2019.
But Sessegnon’s career has stalled since, with injuries interrupting his progress. He made just 57 appearances and scored only three goals in his five years at Spurs and could not convince the club or manager Ange Postecoglou he was worth a contract extension last season.