Arsenal have reportedly turned down an offer worth £25m for Emile Smith Rowe.
Aston Villa made their first bid in hopes of landing the rising English talent.
Smith Rowe made quite an impression last season since being introduced as a starter in the 3-0 win over Chelsea on Boxing Day. His introduction saw an upliftment in the team’s performance, especially in attack. Mikel Arteta clearly rates the youngster highly and wants to tie him down for the future.
Smith Rowe and Arsenal have been negotiating over a contract extension since the 2020/21 campaign ended. His deal is set to run for two more seasons before it expires. Their is overall optimism around the Arsenal camp that Smith Rowe will extend.
Aston Villa saw this as an opportunity to prize away the 20-year-old but Arsenal are in no mood to let him go. They already lost the Emiliano Buendia trade to Villa. Arsenal were tracking him all year before a last-minute bid from The Villans saw them lose out on the transfer.
Now, Arteta will be aiming to bring in another attacking-midfielder who will be able to start right away and serve as a role model for Smith Rowe.
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