Arsenal are hoping to sell midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham so that they can sign another midfielder.
The Gunners have completed the signing of defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, on top of David Raya’s permanent move to the Emirates Stadium.
More transfer business is expected at Arsenal as manager Mikel Arteta prepares to shape up his squad for the new season.
The North Londoners are expected to lose midfielder Smith Rowe this summer and Fulham are leading the race for his signature.
According to Football Transfers, the Gunners face an obstacle in Smith Rowe’s impending move to Fulham and if that is not resolved, they cannot complete the signing of Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.
For Merino to arrive at the Emirates Stadium, Smith Rowe must leave the club first.
The report states that London neighbours Fulham have offered £35 million for the midfielder, with £27m of this upfront and a further £8m in add-ons.
Arsenal believe that the add-ons being offered are unlikely to be achieved.
Arteta and his team are now working towards finding out a solution to this problem and they want the transfer to go ahead smoothly.
The Gunners are looking to complete a deal for Spain’s Euro 2024 hero Merino and the player is open to a move to join Arteta’s Arsenal this summer.
Real Sociedad are meanwhile hoping that other clubs join the race to sign their central midfielder so that it could help push up the transfer fee.
Smith Rowe is edging closer to an exit from the club and Fulham is set to be his next destination.
However, there is still work to be done from the Premier League side to work out a deal for Merino, despite the report stating that the Gunners have agreed personal terms with the Spanish midfielder.
This would be the ideal move for Arteta as he would be losing a player who has hardly played football in the last two seasons and Merino would arrive as Declan Rice’s midfield partner to offer a new dimension to the midfield.
The post Report: Emile Smith Rowe exit to make way for new midfield signing for Arsenal appeared first on CaughtOffside.
