Smith Rowe, 23, is close to joining Fulham in a £35million transfer. That will be the most Fulham have paid for a player and would also match Arsenal's biggest sale, which is currently Alex Oxlade Chamberlain's move to Liverpool seven years ago.
Before the transfer is finalised, Smith Rowe must undergo a medical and terms must be fully agreed upon. Fulham's updated bid of £35m is £5m more than their original offer, with the Craven Cottage club feeling a sense of pressure after it was revealed the 23-year-old was also being targeted by Crystal Palace.
Smith Rowe was expected to play in Wednesday's game after being named on the bench - but wasn't one of the 10 substitutes used by Mikel Arteta. The game finished 1-1, with Arsenal winning 5-4 on penalties.
News of Smith Rowe's impending move to Fulham was broken by The Athletic, and the transfer paves the way for Riccardo Calafiori to formally join the north London side. After weeks of teasing, it was reported the skilled Italian defender was headed to Arsenal on a deal worth £33.6m, with an additional £4.2m in add-ons and sell-on clause.
Calafiori also made it known that he prefers to play for Arsenal, picking them over a host of other potential destinations. What is complicating matters at the moment is the fact that Basel and Bologna are still working on terms that would send the 22-year-old to the Gunners in full.
Currently, half of the fee is slated to go to Basel, with the rest heading to Thiago Motta's club. For now, it remains to be seen when the deal will be realised but it appears it's only a matter of time before Arteta gets one of the players on his transfer list.
For Smith Rowe, heading to Fulham could represent a new start for the talented midfielder. Since making his debut in 2019, he had 115 appearances and tallied 18 goals, with a large majority of them coming during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
During those campaigns, he scored 12 goals in 53 appearances, before he was hit by the injury bug. Since August 2022, Smith Rowe amassed three Premier League starts and despite his lack of playing time, Arteta was still keen on maintaining the young star.
The manager laid out two conditions that must be met for Smith Rowe to head elsewhere - if he pushes for a move and the deal is sufficient. It turns out Fulham's proposed deal was enough, as the 23-year-old looks to continue his career elsewhere
0 Comments