Fulham reach agreement in principle with Arsenal to sign Emile Smith Rowe
Fulham have reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal to secure the services of attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
The Craven Cottage club will part with an initial £27 million for the Gunners star, with another £7m to come in add-ons if certain clauses in the contract are triggered.
Fulham have already agreed personal terms with Smith Rowe, and a medical is scheduled for this week.
The 24-year-old is currently on the pre-season tour of the United States with the rest of the Arsenal squad, but he was absent from the 2-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday morning and was not involved in action in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last Thursday, remaining on the bench.
Arsenal face Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen in their remaining games in the US before playing Lyon in the Emirates Cup final on August 11, but Smith Rowe is not expected to be involved in action any more for the North Londoners and has already played his last game for them from the look of things.
Fulham want their soon-to-be club-record signing to join them in their pre-season training camp in Portugal at some stage, and the Hale End academy graduate is unlikely to still be an Arsenal player when Premier League action for 2024-25 kicks off on August 17.
The three-cap England international was a key player for the Gunners in 2020-21 and 2021-22, featuring in 70 games across all competitions, but injuries saw him drop out of the team and he has been unable to play his way back into the plans of manager Mikel Arteta.
Smith Rowe played 19 games across all competitions last term but started only thrice and will now look to continue his career elsewhere and recover the form which saw him play for the Three Lions thrice.
