Emile Smith Rowe nearing Arsenal exit as Mikel Arteta speaks amid £35m Fulham deal | OneFootball

23-year-old set to leave Gunners tour of United States to discuss personal terms

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Fulham are closing in on a deal worth around £35million to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal.

Smith Rowe was left out by Arsenal for their friendly win over Bournemouth in Los Angeles and the 23-year-old is now expected to finalise his move to Craven Cottage.

“There are things happening in the background and we decided the best thing to do was keep him away from the game today,” said Mikel Arteta after Arsenal beat Bournemouth on penalties following a 1-1 draw in their first pre-season fixture.

Fulham are ready to make Smith Rowe their club-record signing with a deal that will eclipse the £27m they paid for Jean Michel Seri in 2018.

Crystal Palace have also been interested in Smith Rowe but Fulham look to have won the race to sign the midfielder, who hopes a move away from Arsenal will help kickstart his career after a difficult two years in which he has struggled for form and fitness.

Smith Rowe did get fit for the second half of last season but struggled to get into the Arsenal side under Arteta and played just 346 minutes in the Premier League.

As Smith Rowe heads for the exit door at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal are closing in on a £40m deal to sign Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.

Calafiori has agreed terms on a five-year contract and is due to undergo a medical and join Arsenal on their US tour.

Smith Rowe is not the only academy graduate who could leave Arsenal this summer, with Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson also attracting interest.

Nelson is a target for West Ham and has also been linked with Leicester, while Nketiah is wanted by Marseille.

Both players started for Arsenal overnight, and Nketiah captaining the side.

Eddie Nkeitah is among those who could leave Arsenal

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Selling Nelson and Nketiah would boost Arsenal’s finances and help them to further strengthen their squad this summer.

Arsenal beat Bournemouth 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the States.

Fabio Vieira opened the scoring in the first half with a brilliant volley, but Bournemouth equalised after the break through a deflected strike from Antoine Semenyo.

Arteta’s side held their nerve to win the shootout, with goalkeeper Karl Hein making two saves and Jakub Kiwior scoring the winning penalty.

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