Arsenal WILLING to sell unwanted star to Chelsea
Tom Hancock
- 29 Aug 2023 10:33 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal are reportedly open to selling Emile Smith Rowe to London rivals Chelsea before the end of the transfer window.
The midfielder barely featured last season – and has yet to play a single minute in the Premier League this term – and there is a sense that the Gunners could cash in on their academy graduate.
Indeed, Chelsea – who sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal earlier this summer – already appear to have expressed an interest in Smith Rowe.
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According to The Times, the Blues have ‘made an approach’ for Smith Rowe and Arsenal would consider a deal for the three-cap England international.
Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates the 23-year-old at €14m (£11.9m) – but, given that he still has three years left to run on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, a significantly higher fee seems attainable for the Gunners.
Besides, it’s not as if Chelsea have shown any kind of shyness when it comes to their transfer expenditure this summer.
The Blues have splashed the cash yet again, spending over €400m on a plethora of new additions – with Moises Caicedo, signed from Brighton for an initial £100m, by far the most expensive.
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Time for Smith Rowe to move on?
An Arsenal regular during the 2021/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, Smith Rowe didn’t make a single start in any competition in 2022/23, of which he missed the first half through injury.
And with no obvious sign that he will regain his spot in Mikel Arteta’s side any time soon, a move away from his boyhood club may well be the most sensible option for the good his career.
Arsenal have already offloaded a number of first-team players this transfer window, with Granit Xhaka’s departure for Bayer Leverkusen the most notable exit.
