Transfer News: Arsenal Willing To Sell £30 Million Ace To London Rivals

It has been reported that Arsenal are willing to cut their ties with Emile Smith-Rowe amid Chelsea’s interest in the England international.

Smith-Rowe was seen as one of the star players to have emerged out of the Hale End Arsenal academy in recent years alongside his fellow countryman Bukayo Saka, however, their carers have taken very different paths, despite the pair of them still being very young.

The England international has had a horrid run of luck when it comes to injuries over the past 12 months and that has certainly seen his development stagnate as of late and also fall right down the pecking order within Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad.

Over the past 12 months, Smith-Rowe has fallen behind the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Martin Odegaard and that has seemingly been the final push for the midfielder who is now eager to leave his boyhood club on a permanent basis.

Chelsea ask about Smith-Rowe’s availability

According to reports, Arsenal’s bitter rivals, Chelsea, have made an approach to the Gunners over the availability of Smith-Rowe in the closing days of this summer transfer window and they are open to letting their academy graduate leave permanently, as long as it’s for a good price.

Arsenal are still in a rather strong position when it comes to Smith-Rowe and his potential value as he’s got two years left to run on his deal, he’s young, full of potential, and is an England international, so if Chelsea are serious they will have to fork out a significant transfer fee.

According to Transfermarkt, Smith-Rowe has a market value of around £30 million, but given how close it is to the end of the value, it will likely take closer to £35-40 million for Arsenal to lose him, especially to a bitter rival such as Chelsea who could end up pushing them for the top four come May time.

Arsenal willing to sell their academy graduate

It’s no surprise Smith-Rowe wishes to leave Arsenal this summer and get his career back on track as he’s not been afforded a single minute of Premier League action this season and then in the Community Shield he was only allowed three minutes of actual action.

However, joining Chelsea wouldn’t likely solve that issue given how bloated their squad is, especially in the attacking part of the pitch, so before kicking up a fuss and wanting to leave the Gunners, Smith-Rowe must assess his options very carefully and ensure his career doesn’t go to waste.