Aston Villa have reportedly had a £25m bid for Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe rejected, as we seemingly step up our pursuit of the Gunners ace.
Villa have already swooped for Emiliano Buendia this summer, as Dean Smith looks to add more creativity and goals to the side to ease the burden on captain Jack Grealish’s shoulders to influence our attacking play.
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Smith Rowe, 20, enjoyed a positive campaign last year as he scored seven goals and provided seven assists in 37 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions as he looks to establish himself as a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s side.
However, as per The Athletic, Villa are trying to prise him away from north London, as we’ve made a £25m offer to sign him, but that has subsequently been rejected by our Premier League rivals.
Further, it’s noted that Arsenal are in fact keen to renew his contract, with his current one set to expire in 2023, and have no interest in selling this summer, but time will tell how those talks over a new deal progress and whether or not it opens the door for a potential exit to join us.
It’s easy to see why Arsenal want to keep him at the Emirates for the long-term future as Smith Rowe has gradually improved and developed his game, and is ultimately establishing himself as a starter under Arteta.
That said, it’s equally as simple to understand Villa’s interest, as he could be a smart addition to add more creativity and a threat in the final third, while he’s also young, talented with great potential and homegrown and so ultimately fits the model that Villa are using in the transfer market.
Time will tell if we return with an improved offer in order to try and convince Arsenal to sell or if we move on to the next target if he is deemed untransferable.
Either way, it’s a show of our ambition and vision for this summer, as it looks like we could be making some more exciting additions to the squad to following up the Buendia signing.